Expensive case for former US President Donald Trump (75): A New York court sentenced him to a fine. And that’s what it’s all about: Trump has to shell out $10,000 (about 9,330 euros) every day.
The reason for the punishment: “disrespect for the court”. Trump refuses to hand over financial documents to the judiciary. The judge ordered the real estate mogul to hand over documents requested by New York Attorney General Letitia James.
James spoke of a “big victory”. “Today’s decision makes it clear: no one is above the law.” A lawyer for Trump has now said the documents were delivered “months ago”. She announced legal action against Monday’s court decision.
The New York State Attorney General has been investigating possible financial crimes against Trump’s real estate empire since 2019. In the course of the civil investigations, she is investigating suspicions that the family holding company The Trump Organization artificially inflated the value of real estate when it wanted to obtain loans. of banks and in other cases underestimated him to have to pay less taxes or insurance premiums.
Last January, James said he had collected evidence of fraudulent financial practices. “In the course of our investigation, we have uncovered significant evidence suggesting that Donald J. Trump and the Trump Organization fraudulently devalued various assets.”
The assets were misrepresented to financial institutions to obtain “economic benefits”.
In February, a judge ordered Trump, his daughter Ivanka and son Donald Jr. testify under oath as part of the investigation. The Trumps appealed.
The former president has repeatedly described the attorney general’s investigation as politically motivated. James is a member of President Joe Biden’s Democratic Party (79), who defeated Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
In parallel with the Attorney General’s investigation, the Manhattan Attorney’s Office is conducting a criminal investigation into the Trump Corporation’s business conduct. In July of last year, charges were brought against the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, for tax fraud.
Trump has been accused of dubious business and financial practices for decades. It is still unclear how dangerous the Trump New York investigations can be. The 75-year-old has repeatedly raised a possible re-election to the presidency in 2024. The right-wing populist is still held in high esteem by his supporters and is still the strongman of his Republican Party.
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