British private equity firm CVC Capital Partners has told Toshiba Corp. it will suspend its consideration of a buyout offer for the Japanese industrial conglomerate, Toshiba said Tuesday.

CVC will "step aside to await your guidance as to whether a privatization of Toshiba will suit management's and the board of directors' strategic objectives," Toshiba quoted the British firm as saying.

CVC made a preliminary buyout offer on April 6, a deal that could be worth over 2 trillion yen ($18 billion), and Toshiba sought further details.

==Kyodo

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