Mr. Trump must pay a fine of 10,000 USD per day for ‘contempt of the court’

Former US President Donald Trump – Photo: REUTERS

The judge ordered a fine of $10,000 per day until Mr. Trump filed the documents.

Judge Arthur Engoron reached this conclusion at the Manhattan Supreme Court hearing after more than two hours of hearing. In court, attorneys for New York attorney general Letitia James presented evidence that Mr. Trump delayed the handover of the requested documents.

Ms. James is investigating allegations that the Trump Organization manipulated many real estate assets to get more favorable in loans, insurance and tax breaks.

According to Reuters news agency, Mr. Trump wanted to cancel the subpoena of Attorney General Letitia James but was unsuccessful. He failed to provide all the documents by the March 3 deadline ordered by the court. The order was extended until March 31 at the request of his attorney, but he continued to refuse to hand over the documents.

Ms. James requested the court’s intervention because the former president did not provide investigators with the documents by the March 31 court deadline.

Although Mr. Trump was not present in court, Judge Engoron said: ‘Mr Trump… I know you take your business very seriously, and I value my job too. Accordingly, I ruled the crime of contempt of civil court.”

Judge Arthur Engoron said that contempt of court is appropriate due to the fact that Mr. Trump’s side is constantly late for the submission of documents and it is not clear whether he is actually looking for the documents to be submitted.

Ms. James was pleased with the court’s conclusion and wrote on Twitter: “Today, justice prevailed. Our investigation into Mr. Donald Trump and the Trump Organization’s financial dealings will continue as no one has be above the law”.

Mr. Trump’s lawyer, Alina Habba, said Mr. Trump’s side intends to appeal. “We respect but disagree with the court’s decision,” Habba said in a statement.

According to attorney Sarah Krissoff, who was not involved in the case, if he did not pay the fine, Mr. Trump could face a heavier sentence, possibly even prison. According to her, the prison sentence scenario is unlikely. Instead, the judge may choose another measure such as increasing the amount of the fine.