The FBI informant who claimed that US President Joe Biden's son Hunter received a bribe from a Ukrainian company admitted to lying

Alexander Smirnov, a former FBI informant, admitted in court that information about a $5 million bribe allegedly paid by a Ukrainian company to Joe Biden and his son Hunter is false, the BBC reports .

The confession became part of a deal with the prosecution, which became known last week. Smirnov, a US and Israeli citizen, also pleaded guilty to tax evasion on $2 million in income.

Four years ago, Smirnov’s statements caused a political scandal and prompted a parliamentary investigation against Joe Biden. He claimed that the management of the Ukrainian company Burisma hired Hunter Biden to protect the company from legal problems in the United States through the influence of his father. However, the FBI determined that the bribe information was false and recommended closing the case.

Despite this, congressional Republicans launched a new investigation in 2023, seeking to impeach President Joe Biden. Special prosecutor David Weiss, who is prosecuting the case against Hunter Biden, said that Smirnov slandered the Bidens because of a personal grudge against the president. It was also established that Smirnov had connections with Russian intelligence services.

The sentence to Alexander Smirnov will be announced in January next year. He faces up to 35 years in prison, but under an agreement with prosecutors, his sentence could be between four and six years, subject to payment of $675,502.

At the same time, Hunter Biden was found guilty by a US court of illegally purchasing weapons and tax evasion. Joe Biden pardoned him, calling the prosecution of his son “selective and unfair.”