Ukraine must investigate Joe Biden’s son, says ex-Ukrainian PM

Ukraine must investigate the activities of US presidential candidate Joe Biden’s son to establish whether his role in a Ukrainian gas company complied with the country’s laws, Mykola Azarov, Ukraine’s former prime minister, said in an interview. Azarov did not specify to which Ukrainian laws he was referring.

Hunter Biden’s role in the company, Burisma Holdings Limited, is in focus after the White House released a memo showing US President Donald Trump asked his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a July phone call to get prosecutors to look into his activities. Zelenskiy agreed.

“It’s a fact (his directorship and fees) and not made up. It should be investigated so that the ‘i’s can be dotted and the ‘t’s crossed,” Azarov said. A spokesperson for Joe Biden’s campaign declined to comment on Azarov’s investigation call. Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau said on Friday it was investigating activity at Burisma between 2010- 2012, but that it was not looking into changes to its board in 2014, when Hunter Biden joined.

Hunter Biden was a director on Burisma’s board from 2014 until at least 2018, according to documents filed by the company in Cyprus, where it is registered. Azarov, who was prime minister from 2010-2014, is himself wanted by Ukrainian authorities for alleged abuse of power.

An Interpol red notice issued in 2015 at the request of Ukrainian authorities said he was wanted on accusations of charges including embezzlement and misappropriation. Azarov said he was not aware of any evidence suggesting wrongdoing on Hunter Biden’s part, but said it was in the Ukrainian public interest to ascertain the legality of his activities.