Trump Lawyer Giuliani makes Latvian money-laundering allegations

Take note – story published 4 years ago

The personal lawyer of U.S. President Donald Trump has repeated public allegations that he has evidence about money laundering between Latvia and Ukraine, with indirect links to a relative of one of his client's political rivals.

Speaking on the Trump-supporting Fox News channel, former New York mayor Rudy W. Giuliani claimed to be in possession of a document issued some years ago by Latvia's anti-money laundering agency, one of two claimed "smoking gun documents" which he said showed an investigation had been launched into Ukrainian company Burisma, which on the board of which formerly sat Hunter Biden son of former US Vice President Joe Biden, currently in the running to secure the Democratic nomination to run again Trump later this year for the presidency.

Giuliani had already featured the document January 30 on his personal podcast (just after the lengthy endorsement of Cigar Aficionado magazine). 

The document appears to be a request, in broken English, from Latvian investigators to Ukrainian investigators for more information and is signed by Viesturs Burkans, then head of the Financial Intelligence Unit.

Purported document from Latvian FIU
Purported document from Latvian FIU

Dated February 18, 2016, the document shown by Giuliani states "According to publically (sic) available information Burisma Holding Limited and its director Hunter Biden are involved in corruption affair (sic)."

It then lists several transactions involving companies registered in Belize and the United Kingdom worth more than 14 million dollars, via the bank PrivatBank, at the time a Latvian subsidiary of the Ukrainian bank of the same name. 

However, the document does not confirm that an offense has been committed.

Giuliani also brandished documents in Ukrainian during his podcast, alleging a cover-up.

The Financial Intelligence Unit would nether confirm nor deny whether the document was genuine when asked by LSM.

Ironically, it was while giving a speech in Rīga in 2016 that Joe Biden told his audience not to listen to then presidential contender Donald Trump.

"Don't listen to that other fellow - he knows not of what he speaks - and he doesn't know of what he speaks," said Biden at the time.

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