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A company founded by Hunter Biden reportedly holds 10% state in a Chinese firm, according to records.
Hunter’s lawyers had insisted that he has divested from a 10% stake in a Chinese government linked company, but could say whom he sold it to or how much money he may have made as a result, Washington Examiner reported.
Chinese business records lists Skaneateles, an LLC started by Hunter Biden
Washington
Examiner cited Chinese business records as still listing Skaneateles, an LLC started
by Hunter Biden as a 10% owner of the Chinese investment firm BHR Partners,
more than seven months after his lawyer said he had completely divested from the
venture. Hunter Biden had come under severe pressure to abandon his stake in the
company soon after his father won the 2020 election.
Hunter Biden’s
lawyer Chris Clark told the New York Times in November his client "no
longer holds any interest, directly or indirectly in either BHR or Skaneateles,"
Washington Examiner reports.
"Please
read the language you quoted below," Clark told the Washington Examiner in
an email Friday. "Internalize it”, He did not answer how Hunter had
divested from BHR or Skaneateles, if he had sold his stake, and whether he had
made money from the Chinese business effort.
China’s National Credit Information Publicity System identifies Skaneateles as a 10% owner in BHR
Business
records from China’s National Credit Information Publicity System continue to
identify Skaneateles as a 10% owner in BHR, and US. business records have
listed Hunter as the only owner of Skaneateles, Washington Examiner reported.
Chinese site
Qixin confirmed the latest filing saying it comes from BHR itself and that it
was filed last month. The 2021 annual report by BHR has an “announcement date”
of June 20 and Skaneateles is still listed as a “shareholder” with a 10% stake,
according to Washington Examiner.
The
Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs informed the Washington Examiner
in March there have been no filings submitted for Skaneateles since October 20,
when a two-year report for the entity was filed listing Hunter as the sole
"governor" of the company. Skaneateles is listed as
"revoked" in the DCRA's online business registry because a $300
"reinstatement fee" has not yet been paid for the LLC, a
representative for DCRA told the Washington Examiner.
Washington
Examiner reported that a report for Skaneateles from DCRA listed Hunter as the
“governor” for the company as of October 20, when a $400 filing fee was paid.
The public business records for Skaneateles on the DCRA’s website list Hunter
Biden as the “executing officer” of the company with the same address,
according to Washington Examiner.
The DCRA
site said the most recent report for Skaneateles remains the October filling.
Hunter’s
lawyer George Mesires said in October 2019 his client joined the board of BHR
when it was founded in 2013 and obtained his 10% stake in October 2017 for
approximately $420,000 through Skaneateles, adding that his client “has not
received any compensation for being on BHR’s board of directors.”
The Washington
Examiner reported that emails from Hunter’s laptop show he was informed by his
business partner in November 2018 to expect a "significant
distribution" in 2019 due to BHR's lucrative exit from Chinese battery
manufacturer CATL.
Hunter’s
name was removed from BHR’s board of directors in April 2002, Washington
Examiner quoted the investment firm’s file on China’s National Credit
Information Publicity System.
BHR has
invested in multiple controversial Chinese companies, including facial
recognition company Megvii, which was sanctioned by U.S authorities for its
alleged participation in China's repression of Uyghur Muslims, according to
Washington Examiner..