1 of 1 Trump testifies this Monday (6) in the trial for inflating real estate assets Photo: Portal Trump testifies on Monday (6) in the trial for inflating real estate assets Photo: Portal
Donald Trump testified on Monday (6) in New York in the case in which he and two of his children were accused of inflating the value of their real estate assets over the years.
“It is a political war,” the former president of the United States said as he entered the courtroom.
This is one of four cases in which Trump, the Republican favorite for the 2024 presidential election, is currently indicted in the US.
The trial gained momentum in late September when Judge Arthur Engoron, who is presiding over the session, ruled that “ongoing fraud” had been proven.
According to Engoron, the New York Attorney General’s Office had already proven that Donald Trump and the directors of his group had “overstated” their assets between 2014 and 2021 by between 812 and 2.2 billion US dollars (around 2.1 billion to 12.2 billion R$ ). .
When Trump testified on Monday, he said financial estimates for many of his properties were inaccurate. The former US president tried to downplay the significance of the prosecutors’ assessments.
“They just weren’t a very important element in the bank’s decisionmaking process, and we’ll explain that as this process moves forward, as this crazy process moves forward,” Trump said.
Trump’s complaints extended to the witness stand, where he accused Justice officials of paying too much attention to his business after he won the 2016 presidential election. “I’m sure the judge will rule against me because he always rules against me,” the former president said.
Judge Engoron attempted to restrain Trump during his testimony. “You can attack me, you can do whatever you want, but please just answer the question,” he told the former president.
Because this is a civil rather than criminal trial, Trump cannot be arrested, but a conviction could have significant financial implications. The former president could be blocked from doing business in the city, and the process threatens the real estate empire Trump built in New York.
The judge previously ordered the revocation of the New York state business licenses of Donald Trump and two of his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., executive vice presidents of the Trump Organization. He also ordered the seizure of the companies subject to the proceedings and which will be transferred to the liquidators.
Donald Trump, who amassed his fortune in real estate and casinos in the 1980s and promised to run the United States like his companies, subsequently lost control of several of his group’s iconic buildings, such as Trump Tower on 5th Avenue in Manhattan.
The real estate is at the heart of prosecutor Letitia James’ allegations: the area of the businessman’s apartment in Trump Tower tripled, and the building at No. 40 Wall Street was worth between 200 and 300 million US dollars (around R$ 1 billion and 1.5 R$) overvalued billion).
The Trump Organization’s luxury residence in MaraLago, Florida, and several golf courses also appear in the dossier.
The prosecutor also demands recognition of further violations of financial legislation and a fine of US$250 million (R$1.2 billion).