特朗普前競選經(jīng)理被指向歐洲政客支付200萬歐元游說費
美國檢方指稱，唐納德•特朗普(Donald Trump)的前競選經(jīng)理保羅•馬納福特(Paul Manafort)，向包括一名前總理在內(nèi)的前歐洲政界高層人士支付了逾200萬歐元，讓對方代表烏克蘭前總統(tǒng)維克多•亞努科維奇(Viktor Yanukovych)進行秘密游說活動。
The allegation was contained in a new indictment against Mr Manafort, which was filed on Friday by Robert Mueller, the US special counsel, as part his investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 US election.
這項指控出現(xiàn)在美國特別檢察官羅伯特•米勒(Robert Mueller)上周五對馬納福特提起的一份新訴狀中。提起新訴狀，是米勒對俄羅斯干預(yù)2016年美國大選的調(diào)查的一部分。
It came as Richard Gates, a former top aide to Mr Trump and business associate of Mr Manafort, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and lying to investigators, becoming the third official of the president’s campaign to admit guilt in the probe.
此前，特朗普的前高級助手、馬納福特的商業(yè)伙伴商業(yè)伙伴理查德•蓋茨(Richard Gates)已承認(rèn)犯有共謀和對調(diào)查人員說謊的罪行，成為米勒調(diào)查中第三個認(rèn)罪的總統(tǒng)競選團隊官員。
Mr Gates entered the plea on Friday, a day after he and Mr Manafort were charged with 32 counts related to what prosecutors claim was an elaborate scheme to hide some $75m in income related to their work for a pro-Russian Ukrainian political party.
蓋茨在周五進入了認(rèn)罪程序。一天前，他和馬納福特被指控犯下32項罪名——檢方稱，這些指控與一項精心策劃的計劃有關(guān)，該計劃的目的是為一個親俄羅斯的烏克蘭政黨隱瞞約7500萬美元的收入。
Mr Gates, a longtime Republican political consultant, served as deputy chair of the president’s 2016 campaign and also had a senior role in his transition team. His guilty plea came with a pledge to co-operate with Mr Mueller’s investigation and was seen as part of an effort to increase pressure on Mr Manafort to also co-operate.
長期擔(dān)任共和黨政治顧問的蓋茨曾擔(dān)任2016年總統(tǒng)競選副經(jīng)理，并在過渡團隊中擔(dān)任高級職務(wù)。他的認(rèn)罪是為了履行配合米勒調(diào)查的承諾，并被視為加大對馬納福特施壓力度、讓他也配合的努力的一部分。
The indictment filed on Friday said that in 2012, Mr Manafort and Mr Gates “secretly retained a group of former senior European politicians to take positions favourable to Ukraine, including by lobbying in the United States”.
上周五提交的訴狀稱，2012年，馬納福特和蓋茨“秘密聘請了一批歐洲前高級政客，以提出有利于烏克蘭的立場，包括在美國進行游說”。
“The plan was for the former politicians, informally called the ‘Habsburg group’, to appear to be providing their independent assessments of Government of Ukraine actions, when in fact they were paid lobbyists for Ukraine,” the indictment charges.
“這個計劃是為被非正式稱為‘哈布斯堡集團’的那些前政客們準(zhǔn)備的，似乎是了提供他們對烏克蘭政府行動的獨立評估意見，而他們實際上是代表烏克蘭利益、領(lǐng)取報酬的說客，”訴狀指控稱。
Mr Manafort used at least four offshore accounts to wire more than €2m to pay the group of former politicians.
馬納福特使用至少有四個離岸賬戶為這個前政客團體轉(zhuǎn)賬了逾200萬歐元。
In an “eyes only” memo cited by prosecutors Mr Manafort allegedly said the “super VIP” group would include “politically credible friends who can act informally and without any visible relationship with the Government of Ukraine”.
在檢察官們提到的一份“只供專人閱讀的”備忘錄里，據(jù)稱馬納福特表示，“超級VIP”集團將包括“政治上可信的朋友，他們可以非正式地行事，而且與烏克蘭政府之間沒有任何明顯的關(guān)系”。
“The group was managed by a former European Chancellor, Foreign Politician A, in co-ordination with [Mr] Manafort,” the indictment alleges. Around 2013, the indictment claims, that group of politicians lobbied members of the US Congress, the Obama administration and their staffs. The identity of Foreign Politician A was not disclosed.
該訴狀指稱，“這個團體由一位前歐洲國家總理、外國政治家A與馬納福特共同管理。”訴狀稱，2013年前后，這群政客對美國國會議員、奧巴馬(Obama)政府及政府工作人員進行了游說。外國政治家A的身份沒有對外透露。
Paying the European politicians to lobby does not amount to a crime under US law. But the indictment alleges Mr Manafort illegally hid his lobbying scheme for years and failed to report that he was acting as an agent for the Ukrainian government and Mr Yanukovych as required by US law. Mr Manafort also faces conspiracy and money laundering charges as well as charges of lying to investigators.
根據(jù)美國法律，向歐洲政客支付報酬、讓其游說并不構(gòu)成犯罪。但訴狀稱，馬納福特多年來非法隱瞞了他的游說計劃，而且并未像美國法律所規(guī)定的那樣匯報他是在充當(dāng)烏克蘭政府和亞努科維奇的代理人的這一情況。馬納福特還面臨著共謀和洗錢指控，以及對調(diào)查人員撒謊的指控。
In a statement released after Mr Gates’ guilty plea, Mr Manafort, who faces more than 20 years in jail if convicted, said he would continue to fight the charges against him.
馬納福特在蓋茨認(rèn)罪后發(fā)表的一份聲明中，他將繼續(xù)針對被控罪名進行抗辯。如果罪名成立，他將面臨20年以上的監(jiān)禁。
None of the charges filed against Mr Gates and Mr Manafort relates to their role in the Trump campaign. But, according to the charges, they lied about their links to Ukraine and Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian president, after reports of documents showing cash payments to Mr Manafort emerged from Kiev in August 2016.
對蓋茨和馬納福特提出的所有指控，都與他們在特朗普競選中的角色沒有關(guān)系。但指控稱，向馬納福特支付現(xiàn)金的文件于2016年8月份在基輔被曝光后，他們在自己與烏克蘭和親俄羅斯的總統(tǒng)維克托•亞努科維奇之間的聯(lián)系上撒了謊。
Prosecutors said the conspiracy to hide the income from their Ukrainian activities stretched “at least through 2016”.
檢察官表示，隱瞞他們在烏克蘭活動經(jīng)費的陰謀持續(xù)了“至少整個2016年”。
Mr Mueller has been steadily building his case. Michael Flynn, Mr Trump’s former national security adviser indicted last year on charges of lying to the FBI, has agreed to plead guilty and co-operate. A more junior campaign aide, George Papodopolous, has pleaded guilty to lying to investigators and is now co-operating.
米勒一直在穩(wěn)步地為自己的案子尋找證據(jù)。特朗普的前國家安全顧問邁克爾•弗林(Michael Flynn)去年因向聯(lián)邦調(diào)查局(FBI)撒謊而被起訴，他已同意認(rèn)罪并進行合作。一名更年輕的競選助手喬治•帕帕多普洛斯(George Papodopolou)已承認(rèn)對調(diào)查人員撒謊的罪行，正在予以合作。
The latest developments come just a week after Mr Mueller indicted 13 Russian individuals and three entities for allegedly running a cyber “troll farm” that tried to interfere with the 2016 election and have Mr Trump elected. The elaborate social media campaign began as early as 2014.
僅僅一周之前，米勒起訴了13名俄羅斯個人和3個實體，指控他們經(jīng)營著一個網(wǎng)絡(luò)“噴子制造廠”(troll farm)，試圖干擾2016年的選舉，讓特朗普當(dāng)選。這次精心策劃的社交媒體活動早在2014年就開始了。
While Mr Mueller has unveiled a series of indictments, he has not produced any evidence publicly about the broader question of whether the Trump campaign team conspired with Russia to influence the election.
盡管米勒公布了一系列訴狀，但他尚未公開給出有關(guān)特朗普競選團隊是否曾與俄羅斯合謀影響選舉這一更廣泛問題的任何證據(jù)。
