U.S. Judge Agrees To Postpone Manafort Trial

U.S. President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort (file photo)

A U.S. federal judge has postponed the trial of President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort until next week, and disclosed the identity of five witnesses who have been granted immunity to testify.

Manafort must defend himself against charges ranging from bank fraud to failing to register as a foreign agent for lobbying work he performed on behalf of Viktor Yanukovych, the former pro-Russia president of Ukraine.

The trial had been scheduled to start on July 25 in Alexandria, Virginia.

But U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III on July 23 delayed the trial until July 31 to give Manafort's lawyers more time to review documents.

Ellis also said the office of Special Counsel Robert Mueller must provide a list of about 30 witnesses to lawyers for Manafort, who is a target of Mueller's investigation into Russia's role in the 2016 U.S. election.

Manafort has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

According to court filings unsealed by Ellis, Mueller had requested immunity for Dennis Raico, Cindy Laporta, Conor O'Brien, Donna Duggan, and James Brennan.

The charges against Manafort largely pre-date the five months Manafort worked on the Trump team in 2016.

Based on reporting by Reuters and AP