President Trump’s one-time campaign chairman Paul Manafort allegedly laundered payments from the Russian-backed Ukrainian political party overthrown in the 2014 uprisings using offshore bank accounts, according to a new report.
The Washington Post reported Ukrainian lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko unveiled documents showing Manafort’s company billed a Belize-based company for $750,000 for the sale of 501 computers. On the same day, the Ukranian Party of Regions listed Manafort’s name in a “black ledger” party slush fund next to a payment of $750,000.
Manafort has denied taking any money from the Party of Regions, headed up by former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Yanukovych was tossed out of office after protests for his pro-Russian agenda while in office and is currently in hiding in Russia. He’s wanted on corruption charges in Ukraine.
Manafort worked for Yanukovych’s party for more than a decade, according to the Post, and he resigned because he was connected to $12.7 million in secret payments from the Party of Regions.
Leshchenko said in a news conference that Manafort “used offshore jurisdictions and falsified invoices to get money from the corrupt Ukrainian leader.”
He added that he received the documents from the new occupants of Manafort’s former Kiev office building. Manafort’s company reportedly left the documents behind in a safe and Manafort’s signature and his company’s seal are on the documents.
