The New York court on Monday scheduled the trial of Lev Parnassus and his associates, who are accused of campaign irregularities, for October 5.
According to the judge’s decision, by May 1 the parties should present their positions to the court, then answers to the position of the opposite party, after which the trial itself will start on October 5 with the participation of the jury.
US citizens Lev Parnassus and Ihor Fruman (natives of the USSR, Ukraine and Belarus) are accused of making illegal donations to US politicians on behalf of unnamed Ukrainian officials and a Russian businessman. According to a number of mass media outlets, the recipient of the money could have been Donald Trump’s headquarters. In addition, it is alleged that Parnassus and Fruman helped Rudy Giuliani conduct his own investigation into the activities of former vice president Joe Biden and his family in Ukraine.
Parnassus also said that with Trump’s knowledge, he helped remove US ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch from office. As evidence, he made public the audio recording of his conversation with Trump in 2018.
Jovanovic’s resignation was one of the episodes in the case of Trump’s impeachment, which Democrats accuse of exceeding his authority and obstructing the work of Congress. The Democrats accuse the President of demanding that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launch an investigation against Hunter Biden, the son of former Vice-President Joe Biden, currently a presidential candidate. In exchange, Trump promised to unfreeze the military aid already allocated by the congress. The head of state denies the charges.
Parnassus was unable to speak at the US Senate trial because the Republicans blocked the call of additional witnesses. The final vote on the impeachment case is expected to be held this Wednesday. With the Republicans in the Upper House casting the majority vote, Trump is likely to be acquitted.