Trump to testify in New York investigation into his business practices

Former president Donald Trump will testify under oath on 15 July in New York attorney general Letitia Jame’s investigation into his business practices, according to a court filing released Wednesday.

Trump pays $110,000 in fines after being held in contempt of court

His daughter Ivanka Trump and son Donald Trump Jr will also testify.

News of next month’s testimony is the latest development in the three-year investigation into the former president’s dealings after he failed in an attempt last month to stop her investigation and ended up paying a $110,000 fine.

James has said investigators have found “significant evidence” of wrongdoing in the investigation, which has honed in on whether the Trump Organization misstated the values of its real estate properties to obtain favorable loans and tax deductions.

The attorney general previously said her investigation discovered evidence suggesting that for more than a decade the company’s financial statements “relied on misleading asset valuations and other misrepresentations to secure economic benefits”.

The Trumps are scheduled to testify beginning on 15 July, but they have until 13 June to ask New York state’s highest court, the court of appeals, to further delay any testimony. The testimony would be postponed if that court issued a stay.

Trump and his children had earlier argued that testifying in the civil investigation would violate their constitutional rights because their words could be used in a related criminal investigation led by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.

Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and has not been accused of criminal wrongdoing. He has called the investigation a “witch-hunt”.

• Reuters,GuardianUK