Prosecutors are busily preparing for trial, filing motions Tuesday to compel five unnamed witnesses to testify under immunity from prosecution.
All five have refused to testify so as not to incriminate themselves; if Ellis approves these orders, what they say cannot be used against them.
The motions are sealed and the government will not name the witnesses unless they are called to testify.
“The five individuals identified in the motions at issue are third parties who have not been charged in this matter, and who have not been identified publicly with the case,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Uzo Asonye wrote. “The motions would reveal those individuals’ involvement . . . thereby creating the risk of their undue harassment.”
In both Alexandria and the District of Columbia federal court, where Manafort has another trial scheduled for September, he is accused of hiding his work for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine as well as the money he made from that work.
A hearing is scheduled for Monday to go over what evidence will be allowed.
He is incarcerated in Alexandria after being accused of tampering with witnesses in the D.C. case.
Read More: Special counsel offers immunity to five witnesses for Paul Manafort trial (Washington Post)