Special counsel Robert Mueller is offering immunity to five potential witnesses in the upcoming trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort.
Mueller’s team is asking for “use immunity,” which is a limited type of immunity, according to court documents filed Tuesday.
Manafort faces charges of bank and tax fraud in the Eastern District of Virginia stemming from his work for a Ukrainian political figure, and the trial is slated to begin next Wednesday.
The five people have not been charged or identified publicly with the case, prosecutors for Mueller’s team said.
According to federal prosecutors, the five are likely to invoke their right against self-incrimination if they are not given immunity.
Their names will only be made public if they are called to testify, Mueller’s team said.
Mueller and his team have been investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible links with the Trump campaign.
Manafort is currently jailed at the Alexandria Detention Center in Virginia, which is a few blocks away from the federal courthouse he will be tried in next week. He was sent behind bars by a federal judge in Washington, where he also faces charges related to his work in Ukraine stemming from Mueller’s investigation.
Manafort has pleaded not guilty in both cases.
