US president-elect Donald Trump does not have immunity from prosecution in the hush-money case that resulted in his conviction on falsifying business records, Judge Juan Merchan ruled on Monday night.
Mr Trump's lawyers argued that having the case hang over him during his presidency would impede his ability to govern, and that that the use by prosecutors of testimony from former White House employees at his trial required Mr Merchan to toss out the case. But he said that the testimony at the trial relates “entirely to unofficial conduct entitled to no immunity protections”.
Prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office, which brought the case, said there were measures short of the "extreme remedy" of overturning the jury's verdict that could assuage Mr Trump's concerns about being distracted by a criminal case while serving as president.
Mr Merchan said in his decision: “Even if this court were to deem all of the contested evidence, both preserved and unpreserved, as official conduct falling within the outer perimeter of the defendant’s presidential authority, it would still find that the people’s use of these acts as evidence of the decidedly personal acts of falsifying business records poses no danger of intrusion on the authority and function of the executive branch, a conclusion amply supported by non-motive-related evidence."
The judge’s ruling preserves Mr Trump’s criminal conviction, making it possible that he may become the first felon to serve as president.
In May, a New York jury found Mr Trump guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up payments made to an adult film star during the 2016 presidential election.
Mr Merchan has delayed sentencing in the case, but the maximum sentence for such crimes is four years in prison. It is unlikely, however, that he would be sentenced to jail.
The Supreme Court ruled in July that Mr Trump cannot be prosecuted for official actions taken as president, but that he can be prosecuted for private acts. One liberal justice who dissented said the ruling effectively ensured that a president “is now a king above the law”.
Mr Trump was previously facing a series of cases against him, among them election subversion and mishandling of classified documents charges. But the election subversion charge was dismissed in Washington in late November after US special counsel Jack Smith requested that it be dropped before the president-elect's January 20 inauguration.
Mr Smith also asked a Florida court to dismiss the federal case against Mr Trump on accusations of illegally possessing classified documents after his presidency ended in 2021.
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- Use the existing EU budget to direct more funds towards defence-related investment
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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In 2013, The National's History Project went beyond the walls to see what life was like living in Abu Dhabi's fabled fort:
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Alyssa Ayres, Oxford University Press
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Difference between fractional ownership and timeshare
Although similar in its appearance, the concept of a fractional title deed is unlike that of a timeshare, which usually involves multiple investors buying “time” in a property whereby the owner has the right to occupation for a specified period of time in any year, as opposed to the actual real estate, said John Peacock, Head of Indirect Tax and Conveyancing, BSA Ahmad Bin Hezeem & Associates, a law firm.
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3) Be aware of people asking to test drive the car alone
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5) Don't be rushed into a sale
6) Call 901 if you see any suspicious behaviour
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When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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NOVAK DJOKOVIC
19 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 5 (2011, 14, 15, 18, 19)
French Open: 2 (2016, 21)
US Open: 3 (2011, 15, 18)
Australian Open: 9 (2008, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21)
Prize money: $150m
ROGER FEDERER
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 8 (2003, 04, 05, 06, 07, 09, 12, 17)
French Open: 1 (2009)
US Open: 5 (2004, 05, 06, 07, 08)
Australian Open: 6 (2004, 06, 07, 10, 17, 18)
Prize money: $130m
RAFAEL NADAL
20 grand slam singles titles
Wimbledon: 2 (2008, 10)
French Open: 13 (2005, 06, 07, 08, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20)
US Open: 4 (2010, 13, 17, 19)
Australian Open: 1 (2009)
Prize money: $125m
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
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