Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 16 augusT 2018
'Manafort and his lies' at heart of case, prosecution argues

By CHAD DAY, MATTHEW involve allegations of Rus- of attacks on Twitter and trying to blunt the effect statement of his income to
BARAKAT and STEPHEN sian election interference through his lawyers. of testimony from some of bank officers reviewing a
BRAUN or possible coordination In the closing arguments, the people who handled loan application. He high-
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — by the Trump campaign, it prosecutor Greg Andres Manafort's finances, includ- lighted another in which
Paul Manafort lied to keep has been closely watched said the government's case ing his bookkeeper, who Manafort acknowledged
himself flush with cash and his control of one of more
later to maintain his luxu- than 30 holding companies
rious lifestyle when his in- in Cyprus that prosecu-
come dropped off, pros- tors say he used to funnel
ecutors told jurors Wednes- more than $60 million he
day in closing arguments earned advising politicians
at the former Trump cam- in Ukraine.
paign chairman's financial Prosecutors say Manafort
fraud trial. Jurors will begin falsely declared some of
deliberations Thursday. that money to be loans
In his defense, Manafort's rather than income to keep
attorneys told jurors to from paying taxes on it.
question the entirety of the "Ladies and gentlemen, a
prosecution's case as they loan is not income, and in-
sought to tarnish the credi- come is not a loan. You do
bility of Manafort's longtime not need to be a tax expert
protege — and govern- to understand this," Andres
ment witness — Rick Gates. said.
The conflicting strategies The government says
played out over several Manafort hid at least $16
hours of argument that million in income from the
capped nearly three weeks IRS between 2010 and
of testimony in the first 2014. Then, after his money
courtroom test for special Westling, and Kevin Downing, leave federal court after closing arguments and jury instructions in Ukraine dried up, they al-
counsel Robert Mueller's ended in the trial of the former Donald Trump campaign chairman, in Alexandria, Va., Wednesday, lege, he defrauded banks
Russia investigation. The Aug. 15, 2018. by lying about his income
verdict, now in the hands Associated Press on loan applications and
of 12 jurors, will provide concealing other financial
a measure of the special by President Donald boils down to "Mr. Manafort said he concealed offshore information, such as mort-
counsel's ability to make Trump as he seeks to pub- and his lies." bank accounts and lied to gages.
charges stick. licly undermine Mueller's "When you follow the trail them. Manafort chose not to tes-
And while the case doesn't probe through a barrage of Mr. Manafort's money, it Westling said the evidence tify or call any witnesses
is littered with lies," Andres against Manafort has been in his defense. His lawyers
said as he made his final ar- cherry-picked by Mueller's have tried to blame their
gument that the jury should team and doesn't show ju- client's financial mistakes
find Manafort guilty of 18 rors the full picture. on Gates, calling him a liar
felony counts. "None of the banks in- and philanderer.
Attorneys for Manafort, volved reported Manafort's Gates, who struck a plea
who is accused of tax eva- activities as suspicious," he deal with prosecutors, told
sion and bank fraud, spoke said. jurors he helped conceal
next, arguing against his Westling questioned millions of dollars in foreign
guilt by saying he left the whether prosecutors had income and submitted
particulars of his finances to shown criminal intent by the fake mortgage and tax
other people, including his former Trump campaign documents. He was also
former deputy Rick Gates. chairman, and pointed to forced to admit embezzling
After the closing arguments documents and emails that hundreds of thousands of
were finished, U.S. District the defense lawyer said dollars from Manafort and
Judge T. S. Ellis lll told jurors may well show numerical conducting an extramari-
they will begin deliberating errors or sloppy bookkeep- tal affair.
Thursday morning. ing but no overt fraud. Andres said the govern-
Neither Manafort nor Gates During the prosecution's ar- ment isn't asking jurors to
has been charged in con- guments, jurors took notes like Gates or take every-
nection with his Trump as Manafort primarily di- thing he said at "face val-
campaign work. But Muel- rected his gaze at a com- ue." He said the testimony
ler's legal team says it dis- puter screen where docu- of other witnesses and the
covered Manafort hiding ments were shown. The hundreds of documents
millions of dollars in income screen showed emails writ- are enough to convict
as a result of the ongoing ten by Manafort that con- Manafort on tax evasion
investigation. tained some of the most and bank fraud charges.
Defense attorney Richard damning evidence that "Does the fact that Mr.
Westling told jurors that he was aware of the fraud Gates had an affair 10
the fact that Manafort em- and not simply a victim of years ago make Mr.
ployed a team of accoun- underlings who managed Manafort any less guilty?"
tants, bookkeepers and tax his financial affairs. Andres asked, noting that
preparers shows he wasn't Andres highlighted one Manafort didn't choose a
trying to hide anything. The email in which he said "Boy Scout" to aid a crimi-
lawyer appeared to be Manafort sent an inflated nal scheme.q