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 asset values to receive preferential insurance and loan benefits.
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 usually happens 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 going to court, 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 reports and he admitted that the value of his apartment was overvalued. "I think the price of the apartment is high, we adjusted," 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 reality the apartment was less than 1,021 square meters.
Mr Trump has previously said 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.
In a 2014 financial disclosure, Mr. Trump acknowledged that he was responsible for providing the information to the accounting firm Mazars, and 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." At one point, Mr. Engoron even 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 that includes a network of companies that manage residential buildings, office buildings, luxury hotels and golf courses around the world .
Mr. Trump Jr. took the stand and testified that while 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, Ivanka Trump, is expected to appear in court in New York on November 8 in the above civil case.
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