US probes Manafort’s banking: report

Treasury Department agents recently obtained details concerning overseas financial transactions involving Paul Manafort, President Trump’s former campaign chairman, according to a new report.

The information is part of a federal anti-corruption probe into Manafort’s past work in Eastern Europe, The Associated Press reported Thursday.

Investigators in Cyprus reportedly turned over information about Manafort’s transactions to Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network earlier this year following a request from the department.

{mosads}The AP confirmed the exchange with an unidentified person familiar with the case.

Manafort was known to route financial transactions through Cyprus, according to records of international wire transfers and public court documents obtained by the AP.

The AP reported that the court documents came from a 2014 case in the Cayman Islands involving Manafort and Russian billionaire Oleg Deripaska. Deripaska claimed that after Manafort and his associates received nearly $19 million from him, they stopped responding to questions about how the funds were used.

Manafort reportedly used Cypriot shell companies as part of his deal with Deripaska to purchase Black Sea Cable, a Ukrainian cable television provider.

U.S. officials are now expected to examine millions of dollars of wire transfers to Manafort, the AP reported, adding there is nothing inherently illicit about his use of multiple companies in the transactions.

An AP report emerged Wednesday that Manafort secretly worked for Deripaska to advance the interests of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government a decade ago.

Manafort signed a $10 million annual contract with Deripaska in 2006 to implement his strategy for undermining anti-Russian sentiment across former Soviet republics, according to the news service.

FBI Director James Comey on Monday confirmed that the bureau is probing Russia’s meddling in the 2016 presidential race, including possible ties between Moscow and members of Trump’s campaign.

The bombshell revelation has brought new scrutiny to Manafort and other former Trump campaign officials with possible ties to Russia.