New indictment alleges Manafort payments to former European politicians

[February 24, 2018]    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A new indictment filed on Friday by special counsel Robert Mueller alleges that President Donald Trump's former campaign manager Paul Manafort secretly paid former senior European politicians in 2012 and 2013 to lobby for the pro-Russia government of Ukraine.

Paul Manafort, former campaign chairman for U.S. President Donald Trump, departs after a bond hearing as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's ongoing Russia investigation, at U.S. District Court in Washington, U.S., December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo

The superseding indictment says that Manafort wired more than 2 million euros to the unnamed former European politicians.

Manafort created the "Hapsburg group" for the former politicians to appear to provide independent assessment of Ukrainian government actions.

The group was managed by a former European chancellor, which the indictment identifies as "Foreign Politician A," in coordination with Manafort.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Additional reporting by Sarah Lynch and Mark Hosenball in Washington; Editing by James Dalgleish)

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