The court ruled on Monday that Trump only had to deposit $175 million into a judicial account or provide guarantees of that amount and gave him ten days to do so. So far, Trump had been ordered to pay a sum of $454 million, which he was supposed to deposit by Monday.
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 (415.78 million euros). Until recently, it was unclear whether Trump would be able to meet the deadline.
Meanwhile, in Trump’s presence, a hearing on a criminal case against the former US president in connection with hush money payments to a porn actress began at a court in New York on Monday. On the way into the courtroom, Trump once again described the proceedings as a “witch hunt” and a “hoax,” as US media unanimously reported.
The trial was actually supposed to start on Monday with the selection of a jury. Because of new evidence, Judge Juan Merchan postponed the start of the trial by 30 days around two weeks ago and scheduled the hearing for further proceedings. The aim of this is to clarify why the evidence was only presented so late. It may also be possible to set a new date for the start of the process. There has never been a criminal trial against a former US president in history.
The postponement was a success for the 77-year-old Trump, who wants to be re-elected US President in November and delay the many trials against him. A total of four criminal trials against Trump are currently being prepared, and the ex-president and his lawyers have already successfully blocked or delayed some of them. Trump denies the allegations against him and sees himself as a victim of a politically motivated justice system.
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.
