New York (Union)
The trial of former US President Donald Trump in the case of “buying the silence” of a former actress enters its final stage this week, with continued anticipation regarding whether he will testify before waiting for a ruling that may have political repercussions.
The former “Republican” president had confirmed, before the start of the trial on April 15, that he would testify before the jury “to tell the truth, and the truth is that there is no file” against him in this case.
But about four weeks after the start of the trial in Manhattan, in which Trump attended all sessions in silence, his defense team remained ambiguous about whether he would sit on the witness stand.
Experts estimate that the candidate for the next presidential elections may refrain from doing so in the end.
The president of the court, Judge Juan Merchan, gave directions to both sides of the case to prepare to deliver the closing arguments, starting today, with the trial being suspended on Wednesday and Friday.
After closing arguments by the defense and prosecution teams, Judge Merchan will give his non-public recommendations to the 12 members of the jury.
They will have the difficult task of deciding whether to find Trump guilty of falsifying 34 accounting documents to hide the trace of a financial sum to the actress.
The money was paid at the end of the campaign for the 2016 elections, in which Trump won the presidency at the expense of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton.
The conviction of the accused requires a unanimous decision from the jury.
If this happens, it is up to the judge to determine the penalty, which may reach imprisonment.
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