Jacko aide cashed $1.5m in cheques, court hears

ONE of Michael Jackson’s top aides cashed two cheques worth $1.5 million (€1.16m) in the weeks after his young accuser and family claim they were held captive and were to be whisked abroad, it emerged yesterday.

As the prosecution's case drew to a close, a bank manager told Santa Maria court, California, that Marc Schaffel cashed the cheques in April, 2003, from an account controlled only by himself and Jackson.

There was no indication as to whether Jackson received the money but the testimony was introduced to boost the conspiracy charges against the singer.