A Ukrainian lawmaker today said he has fresh proof that Paul Manafort, who went on to be a campaign manager for Donald Trump, received illegal, off-the-books payments from Ukraine’s pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych before he was toppled.
The announcement, coming a day after the FBI confirmed it is investigating possible links between Trump’s presidential campaign and alleged Russian interference in the 2016 U.S. election, revives a saga that has drawn intense scrutiny of Manafort's possible connections with Moscow through Ukraine — which appeared to force his resignation from the Trump campaign in the summer.
At a news conference in Kiev this morning, Serhiy Leshchenko, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, presented what he alleged was a contract showing Manafort received $750,000 in a fake deal from a company connected to Yanukovych’s party.
Leshchenko said the allegedly phony deal, which he says channeled money through offshore accounts, was meant to conceal what was in reality an illegal payment for Manafort’s work as a political consultant for Yanukovych.
Leshchenko said the contract, which he says bears Manafort’s signature and company stamp, provides possible proof of allegations raised by investigators in August that Manafort received illegal cash from Yanukovych, who is accused by Ukrainian prosecutors of large-scale corruption.
https://www.yahoo.com/gma/ex-trump-c...opstories.html