US President Donald Trump Ordered To Pay $2 Million By New York Judge

New York: A New York judge has ordered US President Donald Trump to pay $2 million for persistently violating state charities laws as part of a settlement in a civil lawsuit.

The payment is the settlement in a case filed by the New York Attorney General's Office after the Trump Foundation, during Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, organised a fundraiser for military veterans. Almost $3 million was collected that was subsequently disbursed on the eve of the Iowa caucuses at the direction of then campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, Efe news reported on Thursday.

Judge Saliann Scarpulla ruled that the $2 million settlement must be personally paid by Trump for breaching his fiduciary duty to properly oversee the activities of the Trump Foundation. "I direct Mr. Trump to pay the $2,000,000, which would have gone to the Foundation if it were still in existence, on a pro rata basis to the Approved Recipients," Scarpulla wrote in her ruling. The Foundation previously agreed to cease its operations and must pay the settlement to a group of non-profit organizations.

New York State Attorney General Letitia James said that Trump would be fined for damages and improperly using the charitable donations for personal, political and business purposes, including legal settlements, campaign contributions and - in a move that, when it became public, was widely mocked - even to purchase a portrait of himself to hang at one of his hotels. (IANS)

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