indicted for corruption, New York mayor pleads not guilty

Eric Adams is the first city councilor to be indicted in the exercise of his mandate. He is accused of having received “gifts” from Turkish personalities for many years.

The first mayor in the history of New York indicted in the exercise of his mandate, Eric Adams pleaded not guilty on Friday September 27 to corruption and illegal campaign financing, after having ruled out resigning at the head of the largest city in the States -United. “I am not guilty, your honor”launched the 64-year-old elected Democrat, navy blue suit and purple polka dot tie, in a courtroom crowded with journalists, where judge Katharine Parker solemnly read his rights and notified the five charges to the “Mayor Adams”.

The judge then released the elected official, prohibiting him from having contact about the case with the witnesses cited in the indictment. The next procedural hearing has been scheduled for next Wednesday, and Eric Adams’ attorney, Alex Spiro, has promised to file a motion to dismiss the charges.

Former captain of the New York Police Department (NYPD), locally elected since 2006, Eric Adams is being prosecuted for having been “showered with gifts” for years by entrepreneurs and Turkish nationals, in the form of business class plane travel or stays in hotel suites, without ever declaring his gratuities as he was required to do, Manhattan federal prosecutor Damian Williams said Thursday.

The indictment mentions acts of electronic fraud, illegal solicitation of contributions for an electoral campaign from foreign persons and the acceptance of bribes paid by an official linked to the Ankara government. In exchange, Eric Adams would have, according to the prosecution, used his influence with the city’s firefighters to accelerate the opening of a skyscraper housing Turkey’s mission to the United Nations and its consulate general, on time. for an inauguration in the presence of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in September 2021, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

According to federal prosecutors, a system of false certifications also allowed him to raise $10 million in public funds for his campaigns. The mayor ruled out resigning and said he was “impatient” to defend himself, calling on his constituents to “listen to our side of the story”.