The civil trial of Donald Trump for financial fraud enters its home stretch on Thursday in New York, with the pleadings of his lawyers and a possible new appearance of the former American president, however prevented from pleading himself in the courtroom for his defense as he wanted.
The former tenant of the White House who dreams of returning there is accused with his sons, Eric and Donald Jr, of having colossally inflated during the 2010s the value of skyscrapers, luxury hotels or golf courses in heart of their empire, the Trump Organization, to obtain more favorable loans from banks and better insurance conditions.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James, who filed a civil complaint in the fall of 2022 for financial fraud, is demanding $370 million in compensation from them.
Since the trial began on October 2 in Manhattan federal court, the Trump clan’s battery of lawyers have deemed the case legally empty.
The former president, billionaire and favorite in the Republican Party primaries which open on January 15 in Iowa, wanted to ensure his own defense.
A lawyer for Donald Trump, Chris Kise, wrote to New York judge Arthur Engoron at the beginning of January to inform him of his eminent client’s wishes.
According to an exchange of emails included in the legal file and consulted by AFP, on the opportunity and conditions of such an exceptional request, the magistrate rejected the request.
” Take it or leave it “
Tuesday evening, the lawyer called for the pleading to be postponed until January 29, arguing that Donald Trump’s mother-in-law had just “passed away” and that he “was very close to her.”
Request rejected by Judge Engoron who then sets Wednesday noon an ultimatum so that Donald Trump can express himself under conditions: “It’s take it or leave it. It’s now or never. You have until noon, in seven minutes. I WILL NOT GIVE ANY ADDITIONAL DELAY.”
A quarter of an hour later, the judge decides: the former president “will not speak in court tomorrow”, Thursday.
For three months, the 77-year-old businessman has raged against justice at each of his appearances in the courtroom or in the corridors of the Manhattan courthouse, denouncing a political “witch hunt” or a “dignified trial”. of a banana republic.
After attacks on his clerk, Judge Engoron banned him from speaking about his team and imposed two fines totaling US$15,000 for violating the order.
Unlike the criminal trials awaiting him this year, including that for his alleged maneuvers aimed at reversing the result of the November 2020 presidential election, Donald Trump does not risk prison time in this civil case.
But he is playing big and things are off to a bad start.
Even before the opening of the proceedings, Judge Engoron estimated at the end of September that the prosecution presented “conclusive evidence that between 2014 and 2021, the defendants overvalued the assets” of the group by “812 million [à] US$2.2 billion” depending on the year, in the figures recorded on Donald Trump’s annual financial documents.
As a result of “repeated fraud,” he ordered the liquidation of companies managing his assets, such as the Trump Tower on 5e Manhattan Avenue or the 40 Wall Street skyscraper.
Measures suspended, however, by an appeal court.
The trial concerns several other offenses, such as insurance fraud, and financial penalties claimed by the New York State Attorney General’s Office, which is now seeking $370 million and no longer $250 million as in the initial complaint. .
It remains for Judge Engoron to close the proceedings in the coming days and determine the amount of damage and reparations.