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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Lorenzo Tondo in Palermo

‘It cost €1bn and it’s a dog shelter’: red faces as Italy’s Albania migrant centres lie empty

Drone's eye view of camp near port on grey day
The Italian asylum reception camp in Gjadër, Albania, is reportedly occupied only by dogs adopted by the 15 prisoner officers deployed there. Photograph: Florion Goga/Reuters

When Italy opened migrant centres in Albania in October the plan was clear: 3,000 people a month intercepted in Italian waters would have their asylum claims processed beyond Italy’s borders, monitored by Italian police officers.

Two months later, undercover Albanian journalists posing as tourists caught up with some of those officers staying at a 5-star hotel with a pool and spa in Shëngjin, the Albanian port that houses the migrant centre.

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