Metro

Halloran to take the stand in corruption trial

A former city councilman on trial for corruption hopes to win jury points with his next witness — himself.

Dan Halloran plans to take the stand in his own defense Thursday in a risky bid to clear his name on charges that he took bribes to help fix the Republican mayoral primary for a fellow Queens pol.

Halloran is expected to tell jurors that he never pocketed any bribe money, and that any dollars that came his way were nothing more than legal campaign contributions.

Halloran’s risk in taking the stand involves the federal prosecutor who is almost certain to grill him on cross examination over the $20,500 in cash bribes he allegedly took to steer state Sen. Malcolm Smith to the top of the Republican mayoral ticket.

Prosecutors will also grill him about the $18,300 in cash bribes and $6,500 in straw-donor campaign donations he allegedly took to steer $80,000 of council discretionary funding for his district to a company he believed was controlled by those who paid him the bribes.

Halloran’s testimony is expected to last through Friday.

He face up to 45 years behind bars if convicted.