Ukraine corruption investigators probe gas firm – but not Hunter Biden
Ukraine’s anti-corruption bureau has said changes to a Ukrainian energy firm’s board in May 2014, when Democrat Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden joined, are not under investigation.
In a statement the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (Nabu) revealed that changes to the board at that time, which saw the son of former vice-president Joe Biden and other foreign figures join, are not being looked into.
The bureau did say, however, that it is investigating activity at the energy company between 2010 and 2012.
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“Nabu is investigating criminal proceedings for misconduct by the officials within the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources under President Yanukovych with regards to issuing special permits for hydrocarbon exploration to a number of enterprises founded by Burisma Limited and the ultimate beneficiary and owner, the minister,” a statement read.
“The events investigated by Nabu detectives in this case only cover the period of 2010-2012.
Changes in Burisma Limited’s board of directors, which have now become the focus of the international community, only took place in May 2014, so they are not and have never been the subject of NABU’s investigation.”
It added: “Checking the activities of members of the board of private entities in periods that are not related to the period covered by a possible criminal offense is not the task of Nabu.”
It comes after a whistleblower made a complaint that US President Donald Trump had asked Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to look into an unsubstantiated overlap between then-vice-president Joe Biden’s time in the White House and Hunter’s appointment to Burisma’s board.
Hunter Biden joined the board of Burisma, one of the largest natural gas companies in the Ukraine, in 2014, along with several other prominent foreigners at a time of financial crisis for the country.
Founder of Burisma, Mykola Zlochevsky, had gone on to become Ukraine’s environment minister but was removed from the role following allegations he had embezzled public funds.
An investigation from Ukrainian prosecutors ensued at the request of the UK, which had frozen $23m in London bank accounts linked to him. Burisma and Zlochevsky have denied any wrongdoing. Zlochevsky’s lawyer, Petro Boyko, declined to comment.
In 2015 the case collapsed and the funds were released.
When Hunter Biden joined the board, Burisma said he would be part of an effort to introduce “best corporate practices” at the firm.
He would advise on “transparency, corporate governance and responsibility, international expansion, and other priorities”.
He remained on the board until this year and, according to Bloomberg, was paid more than $850,000 between 2014 and 2015, through a company set up by fellow Burisma director, Devon Archer, called Rosemont Seneca Bohair LLC.
A transcript of Trump’s call with Zelensky shows that Trump did pressure his Ukraine counterpart to investigate his possible presidential rival.
Trump hits back
The release of a transcript of a phone call between Trump and Zelensky in July revealed that Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart to investigate Biden’s dealings.
However, the President has labelled the transcript as fake in a tirade of tweets.
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“I had a simple and nice call with with the new President of Ukraine, it could not have been better or more honorable, and the Fake News Media and Democrats, working as a team, have fraudulently made it look bad. It wasn’t bad, it was very legal and very good. A continuing Witch Hunt!” he said.
He added: “Sounding more and more like the so-called Whistleblower isn’t a Whistleblower at all. In addition, all second hand information that proved to be so inaccurate that there may not have even been somebody else, a leaker or spy, feeding it to him or her? A partisan operative?”