Today Reuters released an article with findings from “Interviews with more than a dozen people, including executives and former prosecutors in Ukraine.” Although the article reports that the interviews “paint a picture of a director who provided advice on legal issues, corporate finance and strategy during a five-year term on the board” the information is very damaging.
First off, Hunter was paid $80,000 per month to be on the board, not the $50,000 originally reported. Second, “people familiar with Biden’s role at the company” describes Hunter “as a helpful non-executive director with a powerful name.” That’s not surprising considering his weak resume and lack of experience in the Ukraine region or oil. What is surprising, is that “Biden never visited Ukraine for company business during that time, according to three of the people” interviewed.
Sources said that “his presence on the board didn’t protect the company from its most serious challenge: a series of criminal investigations launched by Ukrainian authorities against its owner, Mykola Zlochevsky.” Ok fine. However, Zlochevsky founded Burisma in 2002, began “adding high-profile names to its board, including Biden and a business associate of his called Devon Archer, in April 2014.” Once again, recognition that his name was Biden. And let’s not forget that his name was not just simply Biden. At the time, Biden meant not just any powerful person, but arguably the second most powerful person in the world: The Vice President of the United States.
A former member of the Ukrainian parliament and business Oleksandr Onyshchenko who “knows the Burisma founder, said it had been Zlochevsky’s idea to appoint Biden as a director: ‘It was to protect (the company)’ at a time when it was facing investigations, said Onyshchenko.” There you have it. Protection. Nothing more, nothing less.
One final nugget, two “sources said that around the time Biden was appointed, Burisma was also looking to secure a financing deal with foreign investment funds, including one in the United States.” Surprise, surprise.
