A former FBI informant accused of lying in the Hunter Biden case has been arrested again

A former FBI informant, who was on trial for lying and fabricating false corruption charges against Joe Biden and his son Hunter, was arrested Thursday in Las Vegas, amid fears he would flee American justice, his lawyers said.

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Alexander Smirnov (43 years old), a former informant for the US-Israeli Federal Police, who was arrested for the first time last week in Nevada City, is suspected of lying by falsely accusing the US President and his son Hunter Biden of receiving five million dollars each. Bribes to allow the Ukrainian gas company, Burisma, to escape prosecution.

At the beginning of the week, he was released, against the advice of the Public Prosecution, on the condition that he surrender his passport and be able to determine his whereabouts. But he was arrested again Thursday morning at his attorney's offices, his attorneys said in court documents.

His lawyers, David Chesnoff and Richard Schonevey, assert that his presence in their offices “contradicts the notion that he is a flight risk” and are requesting an urgent hearing for his release.

The indictment said Alexander Smirnov “provided false and disparaging information to the FBI regarding” Joe and Hunter Biden. It is an element that weakens the impeachment inquiry led by Republicans in Congress against Joe Biden, a few months before a possible new face-to-face confrontation between the Democrat and Donald Trump during the presidential elections in November.

The right accuses Joe Biden, without conclusive evidence yet, of exploiting his influence while he was Vice President Barack Obama (2009-2017) to allow his son Hunter to conduct questionable deals in Ukraine and China.

Mr. Smirnov's story leaked and fueled these accusations. But this is a completely fabricated story, the indictment says.

The accused, who faces a 25-year prison sentence, also admitted to investigators that he had received information from people linked to Russian intelligence.