WASHINGTON: Special Prosecutor Robert Mueller filed 32 new charges against Donald Trump’s former Campaign Manager Paul Manafort and Deputy Campaign Manager Rick Gates. The special prosecutor is investigating possible collaboration between Russian intelligence and the Trump campaign to alter the result of the 2016 US presidential elections.
In October 2017, a total of 12 charges were brought against Monafort and Gates over money-laundering and not registering as a foreign agent.
“The new allegations against Mr Manafort, once again, have nothing to do with Russia and 2016 election interference/collusion. Mr Manafort is confident that he will be acquitted and violations of his constitutional rights will be remedied,” said his lawyer.
Paul Monafort has been under house arrest and bail proposals submitted by his lawyer have been challenged by the special counsel’s office although no date has been selected for his trial yet.
The two accused are alleged to have taken money from pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine and stashing them in off-shore bank accounts to evade US tax authorities. After the supply of money from Ukraine dissipated, they resorted to gaining loans from banks by falsifying their asset statements.
“Manafort and Gates fraudulently secured more than twenty million dollars in loans by falsely inflating Manafort’s and his company’s income and by failing to disclose existing debt in order to qualify for the loans,” the indictment read.
