Donald Trump to testify in an investigation into possible fraud in his eponymous real estate conglomerate.
New York, USA:
New York’s top justice official wants former US president Donald Trump to testify in an investigation into possible fraud in his eponymous real estate conglomerate, The Washington Post reported on Thursday.
State Attorney General Letitia James has asked Trump to testify in person at her office in an investigation into whether the Trump Organization may have illegally reported false values of its assets, including the possibility of gaining banking and tax advantages, according to the Post.
James wants Trump to testify on January 7, the Post said, citing people familiar with the matter.
James’s office declined to comment on the report. There was no immediate comment from Trump.
The investigation is looking into whether the Trump Organization fraudulently overstated the value of certain assets when seeking bank loans and subsequently reported a much smaller value when declaring assets. for tax related purposes.
Trump’s son, Eric, executive vice president of the Trump Organization, was interviewed by James’ office about the matter in October 2020.
The former president is facing pressure from several legal investigations. He was questioned for more than four hours on October 18 for a lawsuit filed by a group of protesters, who allege that his security agents assaulted them six years ago.
The Trump Organization is also being investigated by the Manhattan District Attorney for possible financial crimes and insurance fraud.
In July, the Trump Organization and its longtime chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg pleaded not guilty in a New York court to 15 counts of fraud and tax evasion.
That trial will begin in mid-2022.
Meanwhile, Trump is fighting to prevent his tax returns for years from being released to prosecutors.
And in Washington, he is trying to block a congressional investigation into the January 6 attack by his supporters on the US Capitol from access to White House records related to that day. .
However, the New York investigations may lose momentum next year.
James plans to run in the 2022 gubernatorial election, and Manhattan prosecutor, Cyrus Vance, will step down later this year.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)
