Vashukevich had travelled to Thailand after becoming embroiled in a political scandal with Russian aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska, a onetime associate of Trump's now-disgraced former campaign director Paul Manafort. A Belarusian model who sparked global intrigue after claiming she had evidence of Russian efforts to help Donald Trump win office pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of running an illegal "sex training" class in Thailand. Pattaya, on Thailand's southern coast, is a party town with a reputation for vice and a sizeable Russian expatriate community. Both Washington and Moscow have publically shrugged off Vashukevich's story, which US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert described as "bizarre". Manafort is awaiting a verdict in his own trial on fraud and tax evasion charges in the US state of Virginia.

Source: Sunday Times August 20, 2018 06:11 UTC