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The jury trial of the former Trump campaign chairman in the Virginia District Eastern Federal Court begins July 25. He faces 18 charges of bank fraud and allegations of foreign bank accounts. If he is found guilty, he faces a sentence of more than 300 years in prison. He is currently in prison in Alexandria, Virginia, for allegedly falsifying witnesses, after losing his bail in separate criminal proceedings.
Robert Mueller on Tuesday asked the judge to approve the immunity of five unidentified witnesses to testify against Manafort beginning next week
If this is granted, it means that the witnesses' testimony could not not be used against them in subsequent court cases.
Mueller does not disclose the names of witnesses at this time so as not to create a "risk of "unjustified harbadment" and because the details "could lead to damage to the reputation", according to a proposal of prosecutors
In theory, granting immunity to witnesses prevents them from invoke the rights of the Fifth Amendment and not to answer certain questions when they testify against Manafort
. All witnesses have not been identified publicly in the case. They also have not been charged, said Mueller's office.
Staying in Place
The proceedings will not be transferred to Roanoke, Judge TS Ellis said, after Manafort and his lawyers requested that the lawsuit be forwarded from Alexandria to the southwestern city of Virginia.
Manafort had argued that he could not have a fair trial in Alexandria because that is in the Washington area. He particularly feared the anti-Trump political tendencies of the region and the intensive media climate. According to him, the people around Roanoke would have followed his situation more closely and would be less politically accused against him.
But Ellis said that would not be the case once a jury was chosen. Lawyers and the judge will have the opportunity to root out the potential prejudices of jurors in Alexandria when selecting the jury next week. Manafort's 12-person jury, plus alternates, will be among the nearly 3 million people living in northern Virginia, including those areas where voters are more conservative
. Therefore, the defendant's proximity to pre-emptive publicity until the beginning of his trial will be the same in Alexandria as it would be in Roanoke or Kansas City or Dallas, "Ellis wrote in an order denying Manafort's request to move trial [19659002Ellisaégalementécritquelestendancespolitiquesd'unerégionnedevraientpasentrerenlignedecomptedanslalocalisationd'unprocès"Ilneconviendraitpasquelestribunauxorganisentdesprocèsàtraverslepaysdansdesaffairesdecegenrejusqu'àcequ'undistrictpuisseêtretrouvéoùlesopinionspolitiquesdudéfendeursontpartagéesparaumoinsautantdepersonnesdansledistrictquecellesayantdesopinionscontraires"
Manafort also asked to postpone the trial until & # 39; to & # 39; fall or later Ellis. has not made a decision on this yet.
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