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On Monday, October 2, Donald Trump appeared at a New York state court, in response to the court’s order, to face trial for a civil fraud case, which may affect his real estate business.
Mr Trump, as the republican nominee for the 2024 presidential election, will testify at the time of the trial, said his lawyers. The alleged case that was held against him by the Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James involves inflating the value of his assets by billions of dollars to secure insurance terms and better loans.
“No matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law,” James said to reporters before entering the courtroom. “The law is both powerful and fragile. And today in court we will prove our case.”
In his Sunday night post on his Truth Social, Mr Trump said that he would “fight for my name and reputation against a corrupt and racist Attorney General, Letitia James, who campaigned on ‘getting Trump,’ and a Trump Hating Judge who is unfair, unhinged, and vicious in his PURSUIT of me.”
Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said before entering the courtroom: “We will continue to fight in hopes that there is some level of law and order.. Although my faith in the system is wary, I do have faith in Donald Trump.”
It is a week after the judge presiding over the case found Trump liable for fraud.
Trump has said the case is part of a political witch-hunt.
And James, in this trial, is seeking at least $250 million in fines and permanent ban against Mr Trump and his sons from running businesses in New York including a five-year restriction on commercial real estate activities by Trump and his Organisation.
Arthur Engoron, the New York city civil Judge, had ruled last week that James had proven her fraud case against Trump, his two adult sons and his 10 companies.
Engoron again in one of hot speeches explained how Mr Trump made up valuations, calculating the value of his apartment in Trump Tower as if it were three times its actual size.
“A discrepancy of this order of magnitude, by a real estate developer sizing up his own living space of decades, can only be considered fraud,” he stressed.
