Alleged Surveillance of Marie Yovanovitch, Burisma Hack Probed by Ukraine Police

(Bloomberg) — Want the lowdown on European markets? In your inbox before the open, every day. Sign up here.Ukrainian police opened criminal investigations into the alleged illegal surveillance of a former U.S. ambassador by people working for President Donald Trump and a cyber-attack against a company mentioned in his impeachment proceedings.The probe into the possible illegal monitoring of former Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch follows the release of records from U.S. House committees that suggest that Lev Parnas, an indicted associate of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, was keeping tabs on the diplomat’s whereabouts when she was stationed in Ukraine.“Our goal is to investigate whether there actually was a violation of Ukrainian and international law,” Ukraine’s Interior Ministry said in a statement on its website Thursday. “Or whether it is just bravado and fake information in an informal conversation between two U.S. citizens.”Political DirtParnas worked with Giuliani to dig up political dirt on the Bidens in Ukraine and said in an interview on Wednesday the effort was to ensure Trump would win another four-year term.Ukrainian authorities also opened an investigation into a Russian hacking attack against Burisma Holdings, a company that employed the son of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, Hunter. Giuliani, Trump’s personal lawyer, has alleged that the elder Biden, when he was vice president, derailed an investigation into Burisma to protect his son.Ukraine recommended the U.S. take part in both investigations. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov requested “all the information and materials from the FBI about persons who may be involved in a possible criminal offense” in the surveillance case.Yovanovitch was removed as ambassador to Ukraine last May. She testified in impeachment hearings that she was a casualty of an effort orchestrated by Giuliani and his associates.Authorities also called for the establishment of an international investigation group including representatives of the FBI to look into the hacking attack against Burisma.To contact the reporter on this story: Daryna Krasnolutska in Kyiv at [email protected] contact the editors responsible for this story: Balazs Penz at [email protected], Michael Winfrey, Andrea DudikFor more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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