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Steve Bannon: He'll have to stand trial in May
Photo: JOHN ANGELILLO / imago images / UPI Photo
The trial against the former chief strategist of US President Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, is due to begin in New York in May next year.
Federal Judge Analisa Torres set May 24th as the start date at a hearing in New York on Monday.
At the same time, she warned that the date could be delayed because work on protective measures was pending in several courtrooms due to the corona pandemic.
New York prosecutors accuse Bannon and three other suspects of diverting money from an online fundraiser to build a wall on the border with Mexico.
More than 25 million dollars are said to have come in from hundreds of thousands of donors.
Bannon had been arrested the week before last.
He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail.
On Monday, the other three co-defendants also pleaded not guilty.
The four accused had been connected to the court hearing via video.
Trump distances himself
Bannon was once one of Trump's closest confidants and was involved in his election victory in 2016, before becoming a strategist in the White House.
He is considered to be the driving force behind controversial decisions such as the entry ban for citizens from several Muslim countries.
Trump dismissed Bannon in August 2017. The open break with Trump had come after comments he had made in Michael Wolff's disclosure book "Fire and Fury" in connection with the Russia affair.
Trump had distanced himself from his former strategist after the indictment against Bannon.
He was not familiar with his wall building project.
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ptz / dpa / AP