THE Scottish Greens have called for an "urgent” investigation into Donald Trump’s business assets in Scotland following his civil fraud case in New York.
Patrick Harvie has renewed calls to look into how the former US president was able to buy golf resorts in Aberdeenshire and Ayrshire.
The Scottish Government previously decided not to pursue an Unexplained Wealth Order in 2021, with Humza Yousaf, the then-justice secretary, telling MSPs it would be an “abuse of power” to launch a probe into Trump’s finances.
In February, a judge ruled that Trump, his company and key executives deceived bankers and insurers by producing financial statements that hugely overstated his fortune.
He was ordered to pay $355 million (£279.9m) in penalties, with interest charges pushing the sum higher.
In a letter to the First Minister and the Lord Advocate, Harvie said it was time to look at Trump’s Scottish property portfolio.
READ MORE: Alister Jack: 'I won £2000 betting on date of General Election'
Harvie commented: “The verdict from New York, and the litany of scandals surrounding Donald Trump, underlines the urgent need to get to the bottom of the former president’s finances and the business he runs.
“With every passing day we are seeing even more serious questions about the honesty, integrity and basic trustworthiness of the former president.
“I urge Scottish ministers to look again at the request for an Unexplained Wealth Order and to follow the money to see where it goes.
“The case for Scottish ministers to investigate Trump is now urgent and overwhelming. Scotland cannot be a country where anyone with the money is able to buy whatever land and property they want without question.”
There have long been questions over how Trump, the Republican party’s presumptive presidential nominee, purchased his golf clubs in Scotland.
Unlike almost every other project he bankrolls, Trump (above) did not take out large loans to finance the venture, instead spending more than $300m in cash.
READ MORE: How to watch as Lesley Riddoch grills Green, SNP and Alba leaders
In his letter, Harvie noted: “We now have indisputable and independent evidence in the public domain that Trump’s business dealings, including those in Scotland, were linked to fraud.
“Yet while Trump is finally being held to account by the legal system in the US, Scotland’s Civil Recovery Unit have provided the same comment that they provided in 2021, that they cannot ‘confirm or deny’ whether a civil recovery investigation has commenced.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel