The former U.S. President, Donald Trump, decried what he called "political intervention" during his financial fraud trial last Thursday in New York. This came days before the Republican voting in Iowa, which marks the start of his party's primary elections, where he is considered the frontrunner.
Trump, who aspires to return to the White House, faces charges along with his sons Eric and Donald Jr. of inflating the value of their real estate assets—including skyscrapers, luxury hotels, and golf courses—over the years in order to obtain bank loans and insurance contracts on better terms.
The New York state prosecution, which filed the civil lawsuit against Trump and his sons in 2022 on charges of financial fraud, seeks $370 million in damages.
Since the start of the trial in October, Trump has repeatedly accused the American judiciary of politicizing the case against him, claiming it to be part of a "vicious campaign" waged by his political enemies.
The former president condemned what he described as "political intervention" and "electoral interference at the highest level" while speaking to the media outside the courthouse, labeling the trial as unfair.
Penalties
In this civil case, Trump does not face prison time, unlike other criminal trials awaiting him this year, including one for allegedly attempting to manipulate the 2020 presidential election results, in which he was defeated by his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.
However, the fraud case could result in significant financial losses for Trump, and he could potentially be barred from conducting his business affairs in New York, where he is a prominent real estate figure.
Observers believe that the verdict in this case is unlikely to be in Trump's favor. The judge overseeing the case stated before the commencement of the opening statements in September that the prosecution had presented "conclusive evidence that the defendants inflated the value of Trump Organization assets by between $812 million and $2.2 billion," according to the figures listed in Donald Trump's annual financial disclosures over the years.
The judge had initially ordered the dissolution of the companies managing these assets, including Trump Tower in Manhattan and another skyscraper, due to "repeated fraudulent activities," but an appellate court later suspended these measures.
Trump is also being tried in other cases, including holding highly classified documents at his residence and meddling with the 2020 presidential election results in Georgia. Trump denies all the charges against him in the lawsuits he faces and argues they are attempts to meddle in the upcoming elections and obstruct his efforts to return to the presidency.
