Former US President Donald Trump has described a civil trial over allegations that he inflated assets in New York aimed at hindering his progress in the 2024 US presidential election as a “farce and a witch hunt”.

Trump appeared in court in New York on Monday morning, facing a civil suit and charges of fraud and financial fraud, where a judge will determine the amount the former president must pay in fines for falsifying financial statements and inflating the value of his businesses. Assets over ten years from 2011 to 2021.

In contrast to New York courts’ practice of banning photography inside the courtroom, television cameras were allowed to film for several minutes, showing the intense presence in the courtroom and the heavy security around the courthouse and streets. It is.

Before entering the courtroom, Trump stood in front of photographers’ cameras and insisted that the case was nothing more than part of a witch hunt and an attempt to block his progress in the upcoming elections. He described the simulation. Ridiculous.” Trump said: “This is the biggest witch hunt of all time, and we have a prosecutor.” A racist general who lost his bid for governor is coming back to hunt Trump, and for your information, my financial statements are exceptional.”

Trump insisted the lawsuits were an attempt to harm him in the election, adding: “I’m not going to drop out (of the election). I’m ten points ahead of Biden and 50 and 60 points ahead of the Republican Party. This (investigation) is considered election interference. Plain and simple.” , they are trying to harm… “The harm to me is that I don’t always do well in elections.” He added: “We have a country in serious decline and a man is running our country who doesn’t know what he is doing. He is a disgrace. , what we have here is an attempt to harm me, and because I’m running, this investigation could have been conducted years ago, but they waited… “I’m in the middle of my election campaign, so I can be busy with other trials. allegations.”

Trump took advantage of his presence on the court to deliver a campaign speech accusing everyone of corruption, especially the judiciary in Washington, which he accused of being corrupt. He said: “They’re all corrupt, obviously, our country is corrupt and that’s one of the reasons I ran, so we’ll fix things, and what’s happening to me right now has never happened to any president.”

Trump defended the valuation of his real estate assets, noting that his most valuable asset is not the Trump brand, and comparing it to the “Coca-Cola” brand: the brand is worth more than all the company’s assets and he said: “We have one of the largest real estate in the world, ” He added: “(His company’s) undervaluation of property is a disgrace to our nation. I spoke to the banks. Got their dues in full and got a full denial letter. However, when the public prosecutor came to know about the denial, they said they will go ahead anyway.” “It’s good publicity, we’re dealing with very corrupt people.”

Expected punishment

Trump, his three sons and associates are accused of inflating his company’s assets between $1.9 billion and $3.6 billion annually between 2011 and 2021 to obtain hundreds of millions of dollars in loans and insurance.

The lawsuit documents say: Trump’s company provided false figures for the size and value of his assets, meaning the trial in this civil case will focus on the amount Trump owes in financial and business penalties, and not jail time. . The judge gave three months’ time (until December) to hear the case.

The expected verdict in this case will have major financial consequences for President Trump, his family and his companies, as the financial penalties that the judge may impose could seriously damage the empire that Trump used as a platform to launch his political career. This brought him to the White House in 2016. The case began in September 2022, with charges against Trump, his three children (Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric Trump) and numerous other company executives.

The Trump family and their company have been accused of fraud, falsifying business records, filing false financial statements, conspiracy and overvaluing Trump’s properties, including tripling the value of his apartment in Trump Tower. Both Trump and his three sons are included in the witness list, but this does not mean that they will be called to testify, and they have the right to voluntarily testify or refuse to testify based on Article 5 of the Constitution. It protects a person from giving evidence that would harm him and lead to his conviction.

The investigation is among four lawsuits and other legal issues facing Trump, none of which appear to have dented his significant lead in the 2024 Republican presidential race. But the financial consequences will have a bigger impact on Trump’s business. business empire, and the plaintiff is seeking $250 million. Gen. Ledita James fined $250 million and banned Trump and his sons Donald Jr. and Eric Trump from doing business in New York, banned Trump’s business properties, including Trump Tower and his golf clubs in New York, and company Prohibited from engaging in commercial transactions for five years.

Trump’s lawyer, Christopher Case, argues that the valuation in the lawsuit papers is evidence of Trump’s genius, asserting that Trump is adept at finding value that others don’t see, and he questions the numbers and documents provided by prosecutors. They are based on incorrect accounting methods. Before his appearance on the first day of the civil trial, Trump said on the “True Community” site Sunday evening: “I’m going to court tomorrow morning for my name and my reputation.” He added: “This whole case is a sham,” and told prosecutor Ledita James and Judge Arthur Engoran, “See you in court tomorrow.”

Trump attacks everyone

Trump has launched a scathing attack in recent months against the attorney general, accusing him of pursuing him for political gain and accusing the judge of being deranged and politically intrusive. In December 2021, Trump filed suit against Attorney General James in an attempt to stop the investigations, and the suit was dismissed.

Judge Angkorone charged Trump with contempt of court for refusing to hand over documents requested by prosecutors and fined him $10,000. He also rejected attempts by Trump’s lawyers to postpone the trial date. On September 26, the judge ruled that Trump had overstated the value of assets when seeking bank loans, and ordered the dissolution of some of Trump’s companies, revoking some of their business licenses.

The ruling was based on a request by Attorney General Letita James’ office to settle some of the charges before trial, which would have focused on falsifying business records, providing false financial statements and other charges related to financial fraud crimes.

Since 2019, New York Attorney General Letitia James has prosecuted Trump’s companies and real estate empire, and her office has accused Trump’s companies of embezzling funds and overstating the value of Trump’s properties and assets. She filed a $250 million civil suit accusing Trump…and her children and others in the Trump Organization of fraud and financial manipulation, making her net worth appear higher than it actually was.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Monday commented on Algerian mediation in Niger and called on Algeria to work with ECOWAS, which is leading efforts to resolve the political crisis there.

During his press conference with the spokesperson, Al-Hurra said, “The United States and Algeria closely and regularly share regional and bilateral priorities, including joint efforts to de-escalate the conflict and promote regional stability, including in the Sahel region.”

He added: “Algeria is expected to take its seat on the Security Council next year, and we look forward to continuing to work with it on that and other regional and international priorities.”

Coup leaders in Niger agreed on Monday to an Algerian mediation effort based on a “six-month transitional phase” to find a political solution to the crisis, Agence France-Presse reported.

The Algerian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that the coup leaders sent the Algerian government “an official letter through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Niger, indicating the acceptance of Algerian mediation. A political solution to the crisis in this brotherly country,” the Algerian news agency reported.

On August 29, Algeria announced a political plan to resolve the crisis in Niger, rejecting military intervention in its southern neighbors based on giving the plotters six months to return to “constitutional and democratic order”.

The statement explained that President Abdelmadjid Tebboune appointed Foreign Minister Ahmed Atauf “to travel to Niamey as soon as possible with the aim of starting preparatory discussions with all parties involved on ways to implement the Algerian initiative”.

Acceptance of the Algerian initiative strengthens the desire for a political solution to the crisis in Niger and opens the way for the provision of the necessary conditions to end the crisis by peaceful means in order to protect Niger’s interests. and the whole region.”

Coup leader General Abdelrahmane Diyani “demands a transitional period lasting a maximum of three years,” Ataf confirmed during the announcement of the political settlement plan. Don’t become a “faith executor”.

In detailing the Algerian plan, Attoff explained, “The goal of this path is to create a political arrangement in Niger with the participation and consent of all parties, no matter which party they belong to. Not more than six months.”

He explained that these arrangements “will be accepted by all sections of the political class in Niger and will lead to the restoration of constitutional order in the country, under the supervision of a civil authority headed by a consensus person”. The name of the proposed consensus figure.

Since the coup, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has imposed political and economic sanctions on Niger, and has threatened armed intervention.

According to Minister Atauf, Algeria will advance its efforts in three directions: “with all concerned and active parties in Niger, regionally with neighboring countries and member states of ECOWAS, especially Nigeria, which is currently the head of the group, and efforts aimed at finding a peaceful way with countries at the international level.” I want to support.” “Crisis.”

On Saturday, Abderrahmane Diyani, head of the military council, did not announce that he was abandoning the demand for a three-year interim phase, saying, “We have no right to be in power for five years. We want (one) to be elected to do so.”

He recalled that he wanted to organize a “national dialogue” to develop new texts to govern Niger’s political life, saying, “The problem is not democracy. Elected individuals sometimes mute texts to implement only what is in their minds. .”

In two television interviews, he attributed the coup to former leaders’ “waste of public money”.

The British government announced on Sunday that it has concluded contracts worth 4 billion pounds (4.6 billion euros) with several groups, including BAE Systems, to finance the new generation attack submarine program “SSN-Ocus”.

The deals, involving British groups Rolls-Royce and Babcock, are part of the OCOs military alliance concluded between the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom to counter Chinese ambitions in the Asia-Pacific region.

Announcing the new move at the annual Conservative Party conference in Manchester, Defense Secretary Grant Shabbs said: “These submarines will strengthen the Royal Navy with the aim of maintaining our strategic superiority under the sea.”

Last March, US, British and Australian leaders launched this joint plan for nuclear-powered submarines (but without nuclear weapons). The British prime minister at the time hailed it as “the most important multilateral security agreement in generations”.

In a separate statement, BAE Systems said the future SSN-Ocus will be “the largest, most powerful and most advanced submarine” to be delivered to the Royal Navy, and is intended to “replace the Astute”.

The British defense group pointed out that the government investment would include “employing over five thousand people” at its site in Barrow-in-Furness in northern England.

The first prototypes of this submarine are scheduled to be delivered in the late 2030s.

Nuclear-powered submarines are harder to detect, can cover longer distances, and are capable of carrying more advanced cruise missiles.