Paul Manafort’s state charges in New York were thrown out by a judge on Wednesday in a dramatic court victory for the former Trump campaign chairman.
He won a claim that the prosecution brought by New York state’s attorney general, Letitia James, was invalidated by ‘double jeopardy’ laws because it overlapped with the federal crimes of which he was convicted earlier this year.
However Manafort remains in federal custody and is not scheduled for release until Christmas Day 2024.
But the judge’s ruling opens the way for Donald Trump to set Manafort entirely free by presidential pardon or by commuting his setence.
The Manhattan criminal court hearing went ahead without the Republican fixer as he recovers in hospital following a ‘cardiac event’.
Trump’s former campaign chairman, 70, faced state charges of residential mortgage fraud, conspiracy and falsifying business records in New York.
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