Paul Manafort, former chairman of Donald Trump¹'s presidential election campaign team, went on trial on charges of bank and tax fraud Tuesday.

 

特朗普总统选举竞选团队前经理保罗·马纳福特周二因涉嫌银行和税务欺诈受审。
 

 

He became the first member of Trump's election team to face trial on charges arising from the ongoing², wide-ranging Russia probe led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

 

Manafort, 69, has pleaded not guilty to 18 counts of bank and tax fraud associated with his lobbying work for the Ukrainian government years before Trump declared his candidacy in 2015.

 

Before a 12-member jury inside a federal courtroom in Alexandria, state of Virginia, prosecutor³ Uzo Asonye said in his opening statement that Manafort believed "the law did not apply to him -- not tax law, not banking⁴ law."

 

Manafort opened more than 30 bank accounts in three foreign countries to "receive and hide" income, according to Asonye.

 

Defense⁵ attorney Thomas Zehnle blamed it on Manafort's financial team, with his client seated in the courtroom wearing a dark suit, white shirt and tie, his wife sitting behind him.

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