Hunter Biden faces potential lawsuit from Chinese business partner demanding repayment of $1 million
Hunter Biden received $1 million from Chinese company CEFC to serve as an attorney for their employee Dr. Patrick Ho. However, Ho is now threatening to sue Hunter if he does not refund the money within seven days, as Ho claims that Hunter did not provide any legal services as per their agreement.
Ho sent a legal letter to Hunter’s attorney Abbe Lowell last week, demanding immediate termination of their agreement and reimbursement for the unused funds based on their 2017 contract. Ho’s legal firm set a deadline of seven days for the repayment of any remaining funds.
A friend of Ho stated to The Post that Ho alleges he made the payment to Hunter, but Hunter did not fulfill his legal obligations and should return the money as per the contract.
The $1 million retainer was transferred from CEFC in China to HK-based account, then to Hunter’s American bank account through the firm he co-owned with CEFC, Hudson West III, before reaching his private firm, Owasco, as per his California tax indictment.
Ho was arrested in New York in November 2017 for bribing the presidents of Chad and Uganda, resulting in his conviction and subsequent deportation to Hong Kong.
According to Ho, Hunter did not provide any legal services beyond contacting another attorney, Edward Kim, and being late for a meeting following Ho’s arrest. Additionally, Hunter never visited Ho during his time in jail.
During a court hearing in Delaware in 2023, Hunter mentioned receiving the payment for legal services provided to Ho through his law firm, but further details were not provided.
Around the same time, Ho’s legal team sent a letter requesting the termination of their agreement and detailed list of services provided by Hunter, and threatened legal action if the reimbursement was not made.
Ho was left with a substantial legal bill due to Kim’s representation, which he had to pay from his own pocket, as Hunter failed to fulfill his obligations, as per the engagement agreement signed in 2017. IRS investigator Joe Ziegler testified that the nature of the $1 million payment was misrepresented by the Delaware US Attorney’s Office and was under investigation by DOJ.
Ho’s letter coincided with Jim Biden’s testimony regarding CEFC chairman Ye Jianming’s relationship with China’s President Xi Jinping, causing tensions between Beijing and CEFC. Ye was arrested in China under Xi’s orders and has not been heard from since.
CEFC made payments totaling $7.2 million to Hunter between March 2017 and March 2018, and also gifted him a diamond in February 2017. Hunter testified to giving the diamond to Jim Biden, who claimed to have discarded it. Additional gifts from CEFC were also mentioned during the inquiry.
The attorney-client agreement between Ho and Hunter stipulated various legal services which Hunter failed to provide, ultimately leading to Ho’s demand for reimbursement of the retainer amount.
Ho, who led CEFC’s nonprofit arm granted consultative status by the UN, has closely monitored Hunter’s actions from Hong Kong, perplexed by the lack of legal services provided despite the significant payment.
