No evidence of involvement in US election: Russian minister

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday said that there was no evidence of Moscow's alleged interference in the 2016 US presidential elections.

Lavrov mae the remarks in response to Monday's unsealing of two indictments by a US federal court of Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chief, and his former business partner Rick Gates as part of an investigation into the campaign's possible collusion with Russian officials, reports Efe news.

"We are accused of interfering not only in US elections but also in those of other countries without one piece of evidence," he said, adding "there is no limit to fantasy".

On Monday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the accusations against Manafort were false, pointing out that in his indictment, former Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko was confused with Yulia Tymoshenko.

Manafort was forced to resign in August 2016 after it was revealed that he had received $12.7 million while acting as a consultant for Yushchenko's political rival and former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich, a pro-Russian politician who was ousted during the 2014 Euromaidan demonstrations which sought to distance Ukraine from Russia and bring it closer to the European Union.

Investigators had been targeting Manafort, who worked as a lobbyist, for months and the FBI searched his house in July.

Manafort and Gates are facing a dozen charges, including conspiring against the US and money laundering, and are currently under house arrest pending trial.

--IANS

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