Mr. Trump (center) at the trial on November 6
CNN reported on November 6 that former US President Donald Trump appeared in court in New York state in a civil case accusing the Trump Organization of inflating the value of assets to receive preferential treatment in insurance and loans.
Before entering the courtroom, he criticized the case as "very unfair" and a " political weapon". "It is a very sad situation for our country. It happens often in third world countries," he said.
Speaking to reporters before Mr Trump arrived, New York Attorney General Letitia James said the real estate billionaire "repeatedly misrepresented and inflated the value of his assets".
She predicted that before the trial, Mr. Trump would criticize others and call it a witch hunt. “But at the end of the day, the only things that matter are the facts and the numbers,” she said.
At the trial, Mr. Trump was asked about the value of his assets in financial statements and he admitted that the value of his apartment was overvalued. "I think the price of the apartment is high, we adjusted it," he said.
Ms. James accused Mr. Trump of reporting that his apartment was about 2,787 square meters and cost more than $300 million, when in fact the apartment was less than 1,021 square meters.
Trump has previously said that the value of his properties "goes up and down" and that his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida was undervalued. "I think Mar-a-Lago is undervalued, but I'm not doing anything about it," he said.
Regarding a 2014 financial disclosure, Mr. Trump acknowledged that he was responsible for providing information to the accounting firm Mazars, which filed the disclosure. He said that if there were any problems, the firm would not have filed the disclosure.
According to The Guardian , during the trial, Judge Arthur Engoron reminded Mr. Trump to answer questions related to the case and "not to speak". Mr. Engoron even once suggested that Mr. Trump's lawyer Chris Kise should remind his client or he would be forced to leave the trial.
“This was a very unfair trial and I hope the public is watching,” Mr Trump grumbled afterward.
Earlier, on November 2-3, his two sons appeared in court. Both sons are Vice Presidents of the Trump Organization, a corporation consisting of a network of companies that manage residential buildings, office buildings, luxury hotels and golf courses around the world .
Trump Jr. testified that even though he signed the financial statements, he relied on the expertise of his accountants for accuracy. Like his brother, Eric Trump said he relied on accounting firms to verify information in financial records provided to lenders and others.
Mr. Trump's daughter, Ms. Ivanka Trump, is expected to appear in court in New York on November 8 in the above civil case.
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