- Title: Jury to weigh Manafort fate for second day after 'reasonable doubt' surprise
- Date: 17th August 2018
- Summary: CLEVELAND, OHIO, UNITED STATES (FILE - JULY 20, 2016) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF MANAFORT SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE AT REPUBLICAN NATIONAL CONVENTION WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES (FILE - JUNE 15, 2018) (REUTERS) MANAFORT EXITING VEHICLE AND WALKING INTO COURT AS PEOPLE YELL "LOCK HIM UP!"
- Embargoed: 31st August 2018 15:09
- Keywords: Paul Manafort Manafort's attorneys Manafort's wife Kathleen Manafort former Trump campaign manager
- Location: ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA / CLEVELAND, OHIO / WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA / CLEVELAND, OHIO / WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Judicial Process/Court Cases/Court Decisions
- Reuters ID: LVA0038TKTQO7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The jury in the bank and tax fraud trial of former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort will deliberate for a second day on Friday (August 17) after asking questions that prompted speculation that a verdict may not be imminent.
Before wrapping up their first day of deliberations on Thursday, the jury sent the judge a note with four questions, including one about the law on disclosing foreign bank accounts and another seeking a definition for "reasonable doubt."
It was the "reasonable doubt" question that caught some legal experts most by surprise as it suggested one or more jurors may be grappling with whether the prosecution met this standard of proof on certain counts.
Manafort faces five counts of filing false tax returns, four counts of failing to disclose his offshore bank accounts, and nine counts of bank fraud. If convicted on all the charges, he could spend the rest of his life in prison.
The case is the first to go to trial stemming from Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election, although the charges largely predate Manafort's five months working on Donald Trump's campaign.
In addition to the "reasonable doubt" question, jurors asked the judge about when someone must disclose a foreign bank account to the Treasury Department, about the definition of a "shelf company" -- an inactive company often sold to people aiming to bypass the registration process -- and about whether the exhibit list could be amended to show which exhibits correspond with what counts. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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