New York justice on Monday eased the financial pressure on Donald Trump by reducing his bail in civil proceedings to $175 million, but refused to further postpone his historic criminal trial, which will begin on April 15.
Indicted in four criminal cases and already sentenced to very heavy fines in two civil trials, the real estate magnate and Republican candidate in the November presidential election, welcomed the decision of the Court of Appeal of New York on his bail.
“I deeply respect the decision of the appeals court and I will deposit $175 million in cash, bonds or stocks, or whatever is necessary, very quickly, within ten days,” the person said at the time. of a break in the hearing in Manhattan Criminal Court for the case of hidden payments in 2016 to an adult film actress.
The court on Monday gave Donald Trump, fined $454 million with his sons Eric and Don Jr., 10 days for financial fraud within their Trump Organization real estate empire, to raise this amount.
He previously had until Monday to provide a guarantee that he would pay the 454 million in order to suspend, while the appeal is examined, the judgment of New York judge Arthur Engoron on February 16 which also prohibits Trump father and son to run their businesses in New York for three and two years.
The three men risked having their real estate assets seized and their bank accounts frozen by local Attorney General Letitia James who took them to court in October 2022.
“Humiliation”
If he had found himself unable to pay, it would have considerably damaged the “image” of Donald Trump, “because he has always presented himself as a successful billionaire,” Andrew Weissmann told AFP. , former federal prosecutor and author of a book on the indictments of the ex-president.
For him it would be a “humiliation”, also believes Carl Tobias, professor of law at the University of Richmond (Virginia, east), with the prospect of having to “sell his real estate” or have it “seized”. » or even “declare personal bankruptcy”, according to the expert.
The former Republican president (2017-2021) assured Friday that he had “nearly $500 million in cash, a significant part of which is intended to be used in (his) campaign” against his Democratic successor Joe Biden.
He also benefited from a breath of financial oxygen on Friday with a green light for the IPO of his media company, Trump Media & Technology Group, which could bring him billions of dollars.
Donald Trump once again attacked Judge Engoron and prosecutor James on Monday, whom he systematically accuses of bias against him.
He arrived at 10 a.m., looking sullen and visibly exasperated, at the Manhattan courthouse.
“This is a witch hunt and a hoax,” the former president exclaimed once again as he entered the courtroom.
Trial postponed for a month
But Judge Juan Merchan quickly made it clear that he did not intend to grant a new postponement of the trial, which was initially scheduled to begin Monday, for payments before the 2016 presidential election to a former porn star, Stormy Daniels, with whom Donald Trump allegedly had an extramarital affair in 2006.
“The prosecution has gone well beyond its obligations, it is strange that we are here” to discuss a new deadline, the judge told Donald Trump’s lawyers, after postponing the trial until mid-April , following the recent addition to the file of thousands of pages of documents.
He finally set April 15 as the new date for this historic judicial first for a former American president, punishable by four years in prison.
“The court finds that the prosecution has complied and continues to comply with its obligations with regard to disclosure of evidence,” said Judge Merchan in the reasons for his decision.
Donald Trump is increasing his appeals to delay his trials as much as possible, if possible after the presidential election on November 5.
Donald Trump denies any affair with Stormy Daniels, real name Stephanie Clifford.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of defacing the Trump Organization’s accounts to hide the $130,000 paid in October 2016 so that she would keep quiet about a sexual encounter ten years earlier when he was already married to Melania Trump.
