Photo: AP

According to The New York Times, handwritten papers recovered from the office of Ukraine’s former ruling party list $12.7 million in cash payments to Paul Manafort, Donald Trump’s current campaign manager, between 2007 and 2012. The Times previously reported on consulting services Manafort provided for the pro-Russian party of deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, but his earnings from the work are not known.

Ukrainian officials say the listed payments come from a secret ledger Yanukovych’s Party of Regions used to keep track of off-the-books payouts, including cash given to election officials. Though his name appears in the ledger 22 times, it has not been proven that Manafort received the funds. From The New York Times:

Anti-corruption officials there say the payments earmarked for Mr. Manafort, previously unreported, are a focus of their investigation, though they have yet to determine if he actually received the cash. While Mr. Manafort is not a target in the separate inquiry of offshore activities, prosecutors say he must have realized the implications of his financial dealings. “He understood what was happening in Ukraine,” said Vitaliy Kasko, a former senior official with the general prosecutor’s office in Kiev. “It would have to be clear to any reasonable person that the Yanukovych clan, when it came to power, was engaged in corruption.” Mr. Kasko added, “It’s impossible to imagine a person would look at this and think, ‘Everything is all right.’”

Manafort’s lawyer denied that his client received “any such cash payments” or was involved with anyone who broke the law, suggesting that the allegations were politically motivated.

To be fair, at least one of Manafort’s political rivals appeared to be celebrating the news.