Source: BBC

Donald-trump


During his testimony in a civil fraud trial in New York, Donald Trump sparred with the judge on many occasions and defended his family's company.


The former president addressed a wide range of issues about the case and refuted allegations that he misled banks for over four hours while testifying.


The fines will be decided during this trial, as the judge has already found that the Trump Organisation committed fraud.


Severe company limitations and a $250 million (£202 million) penalty are sought by the prosecution.


Mr Trump, 77, was questioned about the worth of many assets during his much-awaited Monday appearance at the Manhattan federal courtroom. These properties included his golf property in Scotland, Trump Tower in New York, and his Florida residence Mar-a-Lago.



Prosecutors claim that overvaluing these properties and others in business accounts was to obtain better loans and insurance coverage.


As prosecutors questioned him about the financial statements at the core of the trial and the methodology used to arrive at the values, Mr Trump, the front-runner for the Republican nominee in 2024, supported them in his evidence.


"I'm worth billions of dollars more than the financial statements," Mr Trump said, before describing the valuations as "very conservative."


He said his personal brand bolstered the property values, something he said was never factored into financial statements.



"I can look at buildings and tell you what they're worth," he said in another testy exchange.


Attorney General Letitia James of New York filed the complaint, accusing Mr. Trump, his sons Eric and Donald Jr., and senior officials of the Trump Organisation of years of willful misrepresentation of the company's assets. Nobody admits guilt.


During Mr. Trump's testimony, Ms. James, who was present in the courtroom and fixed her gaze on him, subsequently told reporters, "He rambled." He cursed and swore. However, we anticipated that.


She asserted, "The numbers don't lie." "Justice will prevail."