No verdict on 1st day of jury deliberations in Manafort trial

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Jurors in the fraud trial of US President Donald Trump's former campaign chief Paul Manafort wrapped up their first day of deliberations on Thursday without reaching a verdict and posed a series of questions to the judge overseeing the case.

The six-man, six-woman jury weighing the 18 charges against the once high-flying Republican political consultant met for around seven hours before calling it a day. They are to resume deliberations at 9:30 a.m. (1330 GMT) at the federal court building in Alexandria, Virginia.

Manafort, 69, is accused of providing fraudulent statements to secure bank loans and failing to pay taxes on tens of millions of dollars he earned while advising Russian-backed politicians in Ukraine between 2005 and 2014. The case stems from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) and his daughter Ivanka Trump (R) work with campaign manager Paul Manafort (R2) on stage before the start of the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio, US, July 21, 2016. /VCG Photo

Manafort is not charged with any crimes related to his brief time as Trump's campaign chief, but the trial is seen as an important test for the Mueller probe. An acquittal would provide ammunition to the president and his allies to ramp up the pressure on Mueller to conclude his investigation into whether any members of the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

Trump has repeatedly denounced the Mueller probe as a political "witch hunt" and denied there was any collusion with Moscow to help him defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.

Before recessing for the night, the jurors asked Judge T.S. Ellis to redefine "reasonable doubt." For conviction, the US judicial system requires a jury to find someone guilty "beyond a reasonable doubt."

The jury also asked the judge to explain the requirements for a US citizen to disclose the existence of foreign bank accounts. Among the charges facing Manafort is an accusation that he failed to disclose his foreign bank accounts to the US tax authorities.

Lead attorney Kevin Downing (L) makes remarks to the press at the conclusion of the first day of jury deliberations at the Albert V. Bryan US Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia, US, August 16, 2018. /VCG Photo

Assistant US attorney Greg Andres said Manafort, who could face decades in prison, filed false tax returns between 2010 and 2016 to hide his earnings in Ukraine from US tax authorities. The money was deposited in 31 foreign bank accounts, he said, and Manafort failed to report their existence to his bookkeeper, his accountants and the Internal Revenue Service.

Manafort also filed false statements to obtain millions of dollars in loans from banks when the Ukraine consulting fees dried up, Andres said.

(Top photo: Former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort (R2) arrives with his wife Kathleen Manafort at the Albert V. Bryan US Courthouse for an arraignment hearing in Alexandria, Virginia, US, March 8, 2018. /VCG Photo)

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Source(s): AFP