US prosecutors say Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman, has breached a plea bargain agreement by lying to the FBI.
In August, Manafort was convicted of financial fraud relating to his work as a political consultant in Ukraine.
The special counsel investigating alleged Russian meddling in the US election said the breach meant there was now no reason to delay sentencing.
Manafort’s lawyers say they believe he provided truthful information.
In September, he pleaded guilty to two other criminal charges in a plea deal with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
It was the first criminal trial arising from the justice department’s investigation into alleged interference by Russia in the 2016 election.
The White House has insisted that the guilty plea had absolutely nothing to do with President Trump.
What has Robert Mueller said?
In September Manafort accepted the plea deal on related conspiracy charges in return for an agreement to co-operate with Mr Mueller’s investigation.
But in a court filing on Monday, Mr Mueller said that after signing the deal “Manafort committed federal crimes by lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Special Counsel’s office on a variety of subject matters”.
It did not give details of what Manafort allegedly lied about.
In the same filing, Manafort’s legal team said their client had “provided information to the government in an effort to live up to his co-operation obligations”.
“He believes he has provided truthful information and does not agree with the government’s characterisation or that he has breached the agreement,” his lawyers said.
Manafort has been held in a detention centre in Virginia since June.
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Source: BBC
