NEW YORK – US President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, has been indicted on three criminal counts related to possession of firearms.
He has become the first child of any US sitting president to be criminally charged. The indictment is likely to be centre of the 2024 election campaign by the Republicans.
The charges were framed against him months after a plea bargain to sort out gun and tax-related charges fell apart in July this year.
The prosecution team on Thursday alleged Hunter of making false statements related to drug use in order to acquire a firearm in 2018, according to the indictment filed in United States federal court in Delaware.
A White House spokesman referred questions related to President Biden’s son on Thursday to the US Department of Justice and the suspect’s legal team. He said the allegations were framed against him after an independent probe.
Mr Biden’s attorney, Abbe Lowell, suggested the charges against his client had been influenced by “Republicans’ improper and partisan interference in this process”.
He maintained that the Hunter Biden had never violated the law, adding that the possession of an unloaded gun was never a threat to public safety.
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