Ex-Manafort aide Gates testifies on Cyprus accounts, shell companies
Source: Reuters
POLITICS AUGUST 7, 2018 / 6:10 AM / UPDATED 24 MINUTES AGO
Ex-Manafort aide Gates testifies on Cyprus accounts, shell companies
Sarah N. Lynch, Nathan Layne, Karen Freifeld
4 MIN READ
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (Reuters) - Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manaforts right-hand man testified at trial on Tuesday that Manafort instructed him not to tell their firms bookkeeper about payments from accounts in Cyprus that held millions of dollars in earnings from consulting work for pro-Russian politicians in Ukraine.
Rick Gates, the U.S. governments star witness in Manaforts trial on tax fraud and bank fraud charges, told a federal court jury in Alexandria, Virginia, that there were hundreds of emails showing Manafort approved payments out of the Cypriot accounts.
Gates testimony on the trials sixth day was part of the prosecutions effort to prove that Manafort was responsible for financial maneuverings that he and other witnesses have testified include filing false tax returns and failing to report foreign bank accounts.
Gates, Manaforts long-time business partner, is expected to face a tough cross-examination later on Tuesday by defense lawyers in the first trial to arise from Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election. The Kremlin denies election meddling.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-manafort/ex-manafort-aide-gates-testifies-on-cyprus-accounts-shell-companies-idUSKBN1KS10W