Trump's campaign manager and the '$12m payments listed in secret Ukrainian ledger': Report links ousted pro-Russia leader's 'dirty cash' to Paul Manafort

A secret Ukrainian ledger has linked Donald Trump’s campaign manager Paul Manafort to $12.7million in cash payments over a period of five years from ousted pro-Russian leader Viktor Yanukovych’s party, according to a report in theNew York Times.

Manafort’s name is mentioned 22 times in the handwritten ledger, recovered from the officer of the country’s former ruling party – the Party of Regions – but it is not been proven if he actually received the ‘dirty cash’ between 2007 and 2012.

His lawyer Richard Hibey has denied he received ‘any such payments’ or that he was involved with anyone who broke the law.

Hibey claimed the allegations were politically motivated.

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However, the Times has previously reported that Manafort provided consulting services for Yanokovych’s party and was based in an office off Independence Square in Kiev.

His earnings for the work are not known.

Investigators from the newly former National Anti-Corruption Bureau are trying to examining the ledger and other documents found in a bid to get to the bottom of a corruption network they say was used to ‘loot Ukrainian assets and influence elections’ during Yanukovych’s administration, according to the Times.

They say the payments in the ledger were used by the Party of Regions to keep track of payments that are illegal and off-the-books, some of which were to election officials.

They say the payments designated for Manafort are a key part of the investigation.

Prosecutors are also investigating offshore shell companies which funded the extravagant lifestyles of Yanukovych and his inner circle.

This includes the former leader’s palatial residence – which boasted a private zoo, helicopter pad and a golf course.

Yanukovich left the sprawling luxury estate in Mezhyhirya and fled to Russia following his removal from power in 2014.

Although Manafort is not linked to that enquiry, prosecutors say he must have realized what the implications of dealings were.

Vitaly Kasko, a former senior official with the general prosecutor’s office in Kiev, told the Times: ‘He understood what was happening in Ukraine.

‘It would have been clear to any reasonable person that the Yanukovych clan, when it came to power, was engaged in corruption.

‘It’s impossible to imagine a person would look at this and think, ‘Everything is all right.’

The allegations come at a time when the United States’ relationship with Russia and Ukraine has become a recurring issue in the presidential election.

Trump has repeatedly made comments praising Russian leader Vladimir Putin as well as his annexation of Crimea as well as recently urging the country’s hackers to find his rival Hillary Clinton’s missing emails – after reports that Russia was behind a hack of DNC emails.

Meanwhile, Trump’s ousted campaign chief Corey Lewandowski appears to be delighted by the report, sharing a link on his Twitter page.

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