New York, US, Oct 2 (EFE).- Donald Trump arrived Monday at a court in New York for the start of his civil trial on fraud charges, which he has strenuously denied claiming they are part of a campaign to block his return to the White House.
The case, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, accuses the former United States president and real estate mogul and his company, the Trump Organization, of misrepresenting his wealth by hundreds of millions of dollars in order to deceive banks and insurers.
As he entered the courtroom, Trump repeated his claim to a throng of reporters that the case is a “sham” designed to interfere with his 2024 election bid, even though the investigation into these allegations was opened over four years ago, when the Republican was still in office.
“This is a continuation of the single greatest witch hunt of all time,” Trump said, adding that his “financial statements are phenomenal”.
James, a Democrat, who was also present at the New York State Supreme Court, told reporters that “no matter how powerful you are, no matter how much money you think you may have, no one is above the law.”
Trump was joined by his sons Eric and Donald Jr, and other associates accused of inflating the value of the company’s assets.
The trial is expected to run until December.
Trump is also facing indictments on charges that he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden, that he mishandled top secret documents after he left the White House in 2021 and of faking financial records in relation to a so-called “hush money” payment to former porn actress Stormy Daniels. EFE
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