There are two important developments in the US justice system’s proceedings against Donald Trump: The ex-president must pay the fine from a fraud trial of almost half a billion US dollars as bail by this Monday.
Also this Monday, a court in New York could set a new – and possibly soon – date for the start of the trial in a criminal case against Trump in connection with hush money payments to a porn actress. The public prosecutor’s office wants the main proceedings to begin in mid-April, but the Republican’s lawyers are trying to delay the proceedings further. There has never been a criminal trial against a former president in US history.
In February, Trump, who wants to be re-elected US President in November, was sentenced to a fine of more than $350 million in a fraud trial. With interest, the total amount due now amounts to more than 450 million US dollars (around 420 million euros). New York Attorney General Letitia James gave Trump 30 days to post bail after Judge Arthur Engoron’s decision. This deadline expires on Monday.
Trump can’t raise the money
Until recently, it was unclear whether Trump would be able to meet the deadline. The ex-president had emphasized on his online platform Truth Social that he had the money, but at the same time his lawyers had explained that despite great efforts and negotiations with around 30 companies, they had initially not been able to secure a guarantee for this sum receive. It was “virtually impossible,” they argued.
If the bail payment does not come on time, the judiciary could take the first steps on Monday to seize Trump’s properties or freeze accounts. But it remains to be seen whether this will happen quickly. Trump has asked an appeals court to either suspend payment of the fine or initially accept a guarantee of payment of just $100 million. The purpose of such a deposit is to ensure that winners in civil lawsuits actually get their money if the loser is unsuccessful in an appeal. The path through the instances can take years.
Trump wants to take part in the hearing
The hearing in the hush money trial on Monday morning (local time) will focus on procedural questions. According to the New York Times, Trump also wants to take part in the hearing himself. In the case, Judge Juan Merchan had briefly postponed the start of the trial, originally scheduled for Monday, by 30 days in mid-March after the defense and prosecution had requested a delay. The public prosecutor’s office had asked for more time to examine new evidence, but is now calling for the trial to begin in mid-April. Observers believed it was likely that Merchan would now set a new date for the start of the trial.
The case in New York revolves primarily around a hush money payment of $130,000 to the porn actress Stormy Daniels – the money flowed in 2016 shortly before Trump was elected president. She had claimed that she had had sex with him. Trump denies an affair, but does not deny that money was flowed. Non-disclosure agreements between two parties are not illegal. However, Trump is accused of illegally recording the payments, trying to conceal them illegally and thereby trying to cover up other violations of the law. The ex-president has pleaded not guilty.
A total of four criminal trials are currently being prepared against Trump (77), including for attempted election fraud and taking secret government documents. In some cases, Trump, who wants to be re-elected in November, and his lawyers have already been able to successfully block or at least delay them.
The hush money trial involves less serious allegations than the other cases, but experts say it is the trial that could possibly be completed first. Trump denies all allegations against him and sees himself as a victim of a politically motivated justice system.
In January, a New York court ordered the wealthy real estate entrepreneur Trump to pay more than $80 million in damages to the author E. Jean Carroll in a civil defamation case. The Republican appealed, but had to give the court a kind of bail of more than 90 million US dollars (about 83 million euros).
