THE Scottish Government should investigate Donald Trump’s businesses in Scotland even if he becomes the next US president, Patrick Harvie has said.
Since February 2017, the Scottish Greens co-leader has led calls for an investigation into the purchase of land for Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire and the Trump Turnberry resort in Ayrshire.
He has argued that the Scottish Government should grant an Unexplained Wealth Order, a mechanism that allows investigations into “politically exposed persons” like Trump suspected of involvement in serious crime.
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It comes after the New York State Supreme Court found Trump and his company guilty of civil fraud in February this year, finding them guilty of falsely inflating the value of Trump’s assets – including his golf course in Aberdeen – which he has appealed.
The former president was also subsequently convicted by a New York jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Now, Harvie (below) has called again for the Scottish Government to grant an Unexplained Wealth Order – adding that the case to use the legal mechanism is “very strong” regardless of the result of the US election.
Trump and US vice-president Kamala Harris are currently battling it out before Americans go to the polls on Tuesday.
The race between the Republican and Democratic nominees is close, with both being in with a good chance of being elected, according to the polls.
“As a former president, he is a politically exposed person. And if he was to be re-elected, he would be a politically exposed person,” Harvie said.
“Win or lose, there is already a strong case for Scotland to investigate the acquisition of his assets in Scotland.”
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He added: “I think the case is very, very strong for us to use that legal mechanism regardless of the result of the US election in relation to a new Trump presidency.”
Harvie added: “This mechanism was designed, I think, with countries in mind where you have more of a longstanding issue with corruption – perhaps countries without a history of democratic norms and serving ministers who were involved in corrupt practices. Perhaps in developing countries.
“I don’t think the UK Government was thinking this would ever apply in relation to the US. But what you have now is someone who has been president and might be president again with a long track record of involvement in civil fraud. Many other offences have been alleged and some are still under active investigation.”
He went on: “So, particularly in relation to the allegation of inflating the asset values, we need to know where he got the money for that land acquisition if we want to retain credibility in taking criminal business activity seriously in Scotland.”
He wrote: “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 has provided the same comment that it provided in 2021, that it cannot ‘confirm or deny’ whether a civil recovery investigation has commenced.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “A decision on whether to apply to the Court of Session for an Unexplained Wealth Order is made by the Civil Recovery Unit. It would not be appropriate to comment as those decisions are entirely operational matters for the Civil Recovery Unit.”
Sarah Malone, executive vice president of Trump International Scotland, said: “ This is nothing but pathetic grandstanding by Patrick Harvie trying to make cheap headlines. His claims are utterly baseless and anti-Scottish business.
"The Trump family and business has made a massive investment in Scotland which has delivered benefits for many hundreds of Scots employees, the wider Scottish economy and the tens of thousands of visitors who enjoy the Trump world class resorts at Turnberry and Aberdeenshire every year.
"Clearly Mr Harvie is incapable of recognising what is an undeniable Scottish success story which is celebrated widely.”
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