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| - Ukraine's anti-corruption chief on Saturday said he was offered a $6-million bribe to drop a probe into the owner of energy company Burisma Holdings. The energy company was at the centre of a scandal leading to US President Donald Trump's impeachment trial due to the son of Joe Biden, now the leading Democratic contender, having served on its board. Ukrainian officials stressed the bribe was not linked to the Biden family in any way. The aim of the bribe was to halt an investigation into Burisma's owner Mykola Zlochevsky, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, Artem Sytnyk, said at a briefing. "The total confiscated was $6 million. This a record amount for a bribe in Ukraine, as far as I remember," he said. Those offering the bribe were caught in a sting operation and three have been detained including a senior tax official, he said. Burisma in a statement said neither Zlochevsky nor its employees had anything to do with the "illegal actions" alleged by the Ukrainian officials. It said "Zlochevsky has never addressed anyone with requests to commit illegal actions and has in no way contributed to such actions." Zlochevsky, a former ecology minister, is wanted as a suspect in a probe into large-scale misappropriation of a state loan as well as violations over the allocation of land for gas extraction. The investigation has been suspended due to Zlochevsky's absence. He fled the country in 2014 and is reported by Ukrainian media to be living in Western Europe. Sytnyk said those offering the bribe wanted charges against Zlochevsky to be lifted in time for his birthday on Sunday. Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden, joined the board of Burisma Holdings in 2014 while his father was US vice-president. The case against Zlochevsky has nothing to with either of the Bidens, Ukraine's chief anti-corruption prosecutor Nazar Kholodnytsky said at a briefing. "Neither Biden Senior nor Biden Junior are involved in this criminal investigation," he said. Burisma says it is the largest private producer of natural gas and one of Ukraine's leading gas groups. Allegations that Trump had sought to pressure Ukraine to launch a probe into Biden's family prompted his impeachment, although he was later acquitted by the Senate. In a phone call last July, Trump asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to "look into" Joe and Hunter Biden. Hunter Biden has not been personally accused of criminal wrongdoing. os-am/cdw
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