A judge orders Trump and two of his children to testify under oath about his business dealings

Donald Trump is obliged to undergo an interrogation and answer under oath in the civil investigation into the alleged tax crimes of his Trump Organization emporium, led by the New York District Attorney, as ruled Thursday by the judge of the New York Supreme Court, Arthur Engoron .

The children of former president Ivanka Trump and Donald Trump Jr. will also have to attend the summonses of the state attorney general, Letitia James, within a maximum period of 21 days.

One of Trump's lawyers has already announced that he will appeal the ruling.

If they finally face questions from the prosecution, they can answer them or take advantage of the fifth amendment of the Constitution not to testify.

Engoron denied the former president's family's request to void James' citations in the civil case or postpone them until the conclusion of the parallel criminal investigation being conducted by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

When another Trump son, Eric Trump, and former Trump Organization finance chief Allen Weisselberg went to a subpoena from the prosecution in 2020, they invoked that amendment hundreds of times.

The former president's defense charged that James, a Democrat, is trying to get information in the civil case that could serve as material for the criminal case.

Trump “will have the right to refuse to answer any question that, according to them, could incriminate them, and that refusal may not be commented on or used against him in a criminal proceeding,” the New York Supreme Court justice wrote.

Engoron has released the ruling after a two-hour appearance by lawyers for Trump and James.

“Ultimately, a state attorney general begins to investigate a business entity, uncovers abundant evidence of possible financial fraud, and wants to question, under oath, several of the entities' directors, including her namesake.

She has every right to do so," read the eight-page court document signed by the judge.

The New York prosecutor's office has been investigating possible crimes by the tycoon's business conglomerate for years to determine if the firm made "fraudulent or misleading" declarations of the value of various real estate and properties, which they overpriced to obtain bank loans.

Trump said Tuesday that James' work is a "bogus investigation into a great company that has done spectacular work for New York" and a "continuation of a racially motivated witch hunt the likes of which has never been seen" in the United States. .

Last December, Trump filed a lawsuit in federal court against James for an alleged violation of his constitutional rights.

He accused her that his investigation is "driven solely by political animus and the desire to harass, intimidate and retaliate against a private citizen whom he considers a political opponent."

The civil case of James advances in parallel with the criminal investigation led by the Manhattan prosecutor's office to determine whether Trump or his organization falsified the value of properties to gain access to potential lenders and thus guarantee financing.

Last summer, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office accused Trump's company of maintaining a "crushing and audacious" plot for 15 years to defraud the Treasury, and then chief financial officer Weisselberg of hiding income worth 1.7 million dollars, allowing him to evade some $900,000 in taxes.

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