Those who were hoping for Donald Trump’s bankruptcy or the seizure of his real estate will have to wait. A New York appeals court gave Donald Trump a substantial reprieve on Monday March 25. Instead of having to immediately pay 454 million dollars (419 million euros) in bail, after his conviction in February for having overvalued the assets of his empire and thus obtaining loans of a greater amount and on advantageous conditions , the former president, real estate mogul, obtains a ten-day deadline and will only have to pay 175 million dollars (161 million euros).
Donald Trump immediately welcomed this decision: “We will respect the appeal decision and post either a bond, equivalent securities or cash. This also shows how the initial decision [du juge] Engoron was ridiculous and scandalous: $450 million. I did nothing wrong, and New York should never be put in a situation like this again. Businesses are fleeing, violent crime is soaring », he accuses. In an email sent to his supporters, the Republican candidate for the 2024 presidential election is jubilant: “Trump Tower remains mine. » A snub to prosecutor Letitia James, who had indicated her intention to seize the Trump Tower located on Wall Street if Donald Trump did not pay his bail. “Yes, I watch 40 Wall Street every day”she said.
This trial, if it seriously threatens Donald Trump, has also allowed him to victimize himself. First, because prosecutor Letitia James, a Democrat, was elected explicitly on an anti-Trump platform in 2018. “I only have one word to say: Donald Trump. We’re going to sue him, we’re going to really piss him off. He will know my name personally”she then explained in a video. “No one is above the law, including this illegitimate president”declared at a meeting Mme James, who called for “follow the money”believing that Mr. Trump was doing “whitening” : “Donald Trump’s days are numbered. »
No victim claims to be injured
On the other hand, this trial, led by a single judge, the Democrat Arthur Engoron, without a jury, was a bit of a foregone conclusion: Arthur Engoron had decided before its opening that Donald Trump was guilty of having overvalued his assets. The debates showed that Donald Trump had made false estimates of his property: thus his triplex in New York was declared on the basis of a surface area almost three times greater than reality (i.e. 2,700 square meters compared to 1,000 square meters ), which would have made it possible to value it at $327 million.
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