New York (CNN) A New York state judge on Wednesday dismissed a 16-count indictment against President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort on double jeopardy grounds.

"The law of double jeopardy in New York state ... provides very narrow exceptions for prosecution," Justice Maxwell Wiley said in court , citing the principle that an individual can't be tried twice for the same conduct. "The indictment is dismissed."

Manafort is currently serving a seven-and-a-half-year federal sentence for financial crimes that stemmed from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation . He was admitted to the hospital last week while in prison after suffering a heart ailment, and he didn't appear in court Wednesday. His lawyer said Manafort was in stable condition.

"This indictment should never have been brought, and today's decision is a stark reminder that the law and justice should always prevail over politically motivated actions," said Todd Blanche, Manafort's attorney.

He had pleaded not guilty to the New York charges, which included residential mortgage fraud and falsifying business records.

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