Changes

A number of non-Ukrainian directors were appointed in 2014, including Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of the Republic of [[Poland]], appointed in January 2014.

A number of non-Ukrainian directors were appointed in 2014, including Aleksander Kwaśniewski, former President of the Republic of [[Poland]], appointed in January 2014.

On 18 April 2014, [[Hunter Biden]], the son of then-[[Vice President]] [[Joe Biden]], who managed US-Ukraine relations for the [[Obama administration]], was appointed to the board of Burisma Holdings. In February 2016, Joseph Cofer Black, the Director of the CIA’s Counterterrorist Center (CTC) (1999-2002) in the [[George W. Bush]] administration and Ambassador at Large for counter-terrorism (2002-2004) joined Burisma’s Board of Directors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/former-cia-director-joins-burisma-and-it-is-good-news_b_58adf600e4b01f4ab51c75a4|title=Former CIA Director Joins Burisma, and It Is Good News|last=Nwazor|first=Toby|last2=Coach|first2=ContributorSuccess|date=2017-02-22|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2019-04-17|last3=Consultant|first3=Business Development|last4=Speaker|first4=Motivational|last5=Writer}}</ref>

On 18 April 2014, [[Hunter Biden]], the son of then-[[Vice President]] [[Joe Biden]], who managed US-Ukraine relations for the [[Obama administration]], was appointed to the board of Burisma Holdings. In February 2016, Joseph Cofer Black, the Director of the CIA's Counterterrorist Center (CTC) (1999-2002) in the [[George W. Bush]] administration and Ambassador at Large for counter-terrorism (2002-2004) joined Burisma's Board of Directors.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/former-cia-director-joins-burisma-and-it-is-good-news_b_58adf600e4b01f4ab51c75a4|title=Former CIA Director Joins Burisma, and It Is Good News|last=Nwazor|first=Toby|last2=Coach|first2=ContributorSuccess|date=2017-02-22|website=HuffPost|language=en|access-date=2019-04-17|last3=Consultant|first3=Business Development|last4=Speaker|first4=Motivational|last5=Writer}}</ref>

==Background==

==Background==

According to the [[Soros]] [[NGO]] “Anti Corruption Action Center” in [[Kyiv]], Zlochevsky owns 38 permits held by 14 different companies—with Burisma accounting for the majority with 33 of the permits. Zlochevsky left Ukraine after former Ukrainian president [[Viktor Yanukovych]] fled to [[Russia]] during the 2014 [[Ukrainian coup]]. Vice President [[Joe Biden]] managed US-Ukraine relations for the [[Obama administration]]. Biden traveled to Ukraine 17 times during his tenure as vice president. Biden steered $1.8 billion in aid to the Ukrainian government.  

According to the [[Soros]] [[NGO]] “Anti Corruption Action Center” in [[Kyiv]], Zlochevsky owns 38 permits held by 14 different companies—with Burisma accounting for the majority with 33 of the permits. Zlochevsky left Ukraine after former Ukrainian president [[Viktor Yanukovych]] fled to [[Russia]] during the 2014 [[Ukrainian coup]]. Vice President [[Joe Biden]] managed US-Ukraine relations for the [[Obama administration]]. Biden traveled to Ukraine 17 times during his tenure as vice president. Biden steered $1.8 billion in aid to the Ukrainian government.  

In the spring of 2014, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office opened an investigation at the behest of the [[UK]] prosecutors office, which was investigating [[money laundering]] allegations against its owner,  former Ukrainian Ecology Minister Nikolai Zlochevsky (also known as Mykola Zlochevsky) and had just frozen $23.5 million in assets allegedly belonging to him in early April 2014. On April 18, 2014 Biden's son, [[Hunter Biden]] was appointed to the board of directors of [[Burisma]]. According to ''The Hill'' Biden’s firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners, was receiving regular payments—“usually more than $166,000 a month”—from Burisma. The payments ran from the spring of 2014 through the fall of 2015 and reportedly totaled more than $3 million.

In the spring of 2014, the Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office opened an investigation at the behest of the [[UK]] prosecutors office, which was investigating [[money laundering]] allegations against its owner,  former Ukrainian Ecology Minister Nikolai Zlochevsky (also known as Mykola Zlochevsky) and had just frozen $23.5 million in assets allegedly belonging to him in early April 2014. On April 18, 2014 Biden's son, [[Hunter Biden]] was appointed to the board of directors of [[Burisma]]. According to ''The Hill'' Biden's firm, Rosemont Seneca Partners, was receiving regular payments—“usually more than $166,000 a month”—from Burisma. The payments ran from the spring of 2014 through the fall of 2015 and reportedly totaled more than $3 million.

Ukrainian prosecutors refused to provide the UK with needed documents and in January 2015 a British court ordered the assets unfrozen. This action was pointedly called out in a speech by U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, who stated “In the case of former Ecology Minister Mykola Zlochevsky, the U.K. authorities had seized $23 million in illicit assets that belonged to the Ukrainian people.” Instead of receiving cooperation from Ukrainian prosecutors, they “sent letters to Zlochevsky’s attorneys attesting that there was no case against him. As a result, the money was freed by the U.K. court, and shortly thereafter the money was moved to Cyprus.”

Ukrainian prosecutors refused to provide the UK with needed documents and in January 2015 a British court ordered the assets unfrozen. This action was pointedly called out in a speech by U.S. ambassador to Ukraine, Geoffrey Pyatt, who stated “In the case of former Ecology Minister Mykola Zlochevsky, the U.K. authorities had seized $23 million in illicit assets that belonged to the Ukrainian people.” Instead of receiving cooperation from Ukrainian prosecutors, they “sent letters to Zlochevsky’s attorneys attesting that there was no case against him. As a result, the money was freed by the U.K. court, and shortly thereafter the money was moved to Cyprus.”