Albania's Prime Minister, Edi Rama, has dismissed accusations leveled against him during recent weeks of protests, sparked by the $4 billion luxury project linked to Jared Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump.

In an interview for Financial Times, Rama denied claims that he is the "Godfather" behind a system of corruption in the country.

“People say I’m the one in charge of all this. I tell them, ‘fuck you.’ It’s as simple as that,” he said. “It’s not up to me to prove I’m not the Godfather, it’s up to them to prove I am the Godfather.”

The protests, which international media have dubbed the "Flamingo Revolution," erupted after public anger over a plan to build a luxury tourist complex on the island of Sazan, known for its flamingo population.

Meanwhile, special prosecutors against corruption and organized crime have issued arrest warrants for 20 businessmen suspected of international drug trafficking and money laundering.

According to investigations, billions of euros are suspected of being invested in large construction projects along the Adriatic coast and in the Albanian capital.

The prosecution has decided to freeze payments worth 128 million euros related to this transaction, pending the completion of the investigations.

However, Rama insisted that there is no connection between the investigations into the previous owners of the land and Kushner's investment.

"The investment is completely regular and has no connection to the ongoing investigations," he said.

The Prime Minister also rejected claims that the Albanian economy relies on money laundering.

"To say that the Albanian economy is based on money laundering is terrible. Money laundering exists as part of our economy, but it is not such a big problem," he declared.

Rama compared the situation with other European countries, arguing that the phenomenon is not exclusive to Albania.

"You think there is no money laundering in London? There is. But can it be said that the British economy is based on money laundering? No," he said.

According to Rama, the increase in the number of investigations and arrests by justice bodies has created the perception that corruption and organized crime are more widespread than before, while according to him, the reality is the opposite.

"In fact, it is the opposite. Albania is fighting corruption like never before and today it is much less corrupt than it used to be," the prime minister said.

In his interview, Rama repeated the claim that opposition to the project has also been instigated by political opponents of US President Donald Trump.

"There are many interests to kill this project because of Trump. If it weren't for Jared Kushner, no one would care about flamingos, Albania or anything else. All this attention comes from hating Trump," he declared.

The Prime Minister expressed his confidence that plans for tourism development on the coast will be realized despite protests and public debates.

"The important thing is that the investors are not criminals and are not involved in money laundering. They are major investors. This is a historic opportunity for Albania," Rama concluded.