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Jared Kushner's family's real estate company 'subpoenaed over investment-for-visas programme'

Kushner Companies maintains it 'did nothing improper'

Samuel Osborne
Thursday 03 August 2017 08:28 BST
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Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, resigned from the business but retains a stake in one of the company's properties
Jared Kushner, Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, resigned from the business but retains a stake in one of the company's properties (AP/J Scott Applewhite)

New York federal prosecutors have reportedly subpoenaed Kushner Companies, the New York real estate business owned by the family of Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser Jared Kushner.

The subpoenea concerns the company's use of the controversial EB-5 visa programme to finance its development in New Jersey called One Journal Square, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The EB-5 programme allows wealthy foreign investors to effectively buy US immigration visas for themselves and their families by investing at least $500,000 (£378,000) in US development projects.

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In a statement to the paper, Emily Wolf, the Kushner Company's general council, said: “Kushner Companies utilised the program, fully complied with its rules and regulations and did nothing improper.

"We are cooperating with legal requests for information.”

It is currently unclear what potential violations the New York attorney's office is looking into.

The family was criticised earlier this year when Mr Kushner's sister, Nicole Kushner Meyer, mentioned her brother's work in the Trump administration while urging Chinese citizens to invest in the New Jersey project.

“In 2008, my brother Jared Kushner joined the family company as CEO, and recently moved to Washington to join the administration,” she told the conference.

In a statement to the Washington Post, Kushner Companies said it “apologises if that mention of her brother was in any way interpreted as an attempt to lure investors. That was not Ms Meyer’s intention”.

The company added that Mr Kushner had “stepped away from the company in January and has nothing to do with this project.”

Mr Kushner had resigned from the business and sold on his personal assets to family members.

However, he retains a stake in Trump Bay Street, another New Jersey property which Kushner Companies also used the EB-5 programme for.

It is unclear whether the subpoena included that project.

Mr Trump's administration extended the government's controversial programme until 30 September.

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