criminal charges - The African Mirror

Apr

2024

Trump suffers twin setbacks as judges reject calls to dismiss charges

DONALD Trump suffered a pair of legal setbacks as judges spurned his calls to dismiss criminal charges over the former U.S. president's efforts to overturn his 2020 loss in Georgia and his keeping classified records after leaving office. Separately, one of the Republican presidential candidate's allies, former Justice Department official attorney Jeffrey Clark, faced the risk of disbarment after a Washington panel found he violated some attorney ethics rules in his attempts to enlist the agency to help overturn Trump's loss. Those cases represent just some of the legal entanglements facing Trump, who has been criminally charged in four cases as he challenges Democratic President…

Feb

2024

By ANDREW GOUDSWARD

Appeals court rejected Trump’s immunity claim. Could he go on trial?

WORLD

A U.S. appeals court ruled that Donald Trump does not have immunity from criminal charges accusing him of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat, but the decision does not mean the former U.S. president will head immediately to trial. Here is a look at next steps in the case: WHAT HAPPENS NEXT? Trump plans to appeal the ruling by a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, a campaign spokesperson said. He could either ask the full D.C. Circuit court to reconsider the panel’s ruling or go directly to the U.S. Supreme Court. Progress…

Jul

2023

By CAMILLUS EBOH

Nigeria charges suspended central bank chief after court ruling

BUSINESS

NIGERIA'S Department of State Security (DSS) said on Thursday it had filed charges in court against detained and suspended central bank governor Godwin Emefiele following an earlier order to charge him or release him. Papers filed by government lawyers showed that Emefiele is facing criminal charges including misappropriation of funds, meaning he could face long jail terms if convicted. The DSS did not give details on the charges and Emefiele has yet to appear in court. Emefiele was suspended by new President Bola Tinubu on June 9 and arrested a day later by the DSS. "Sequel to an Abuja High…

Jul

2023

By LUC COHEN

Ex-Mozambique finance minister pleads not guilty in New York over debt scandal

BUSINESS

A former Mozambique finance minister pleaded not guilty to U.S. criminal charges over his alleged involvement in a fraud involving $2 billion in loans to three state-owned companies. Manuel Chang entered his plea before U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis in Brooklyn. Chang had been extradited on Wednesday from South Africa, where he was arrested in December 2018 on U.S. charges of conspiring to commit wire fraud, securities fraud and money laundering. Garaufis denied Chang's request for bail, agreeing with prosecutors that he was a flight risk and could escape the charges by entering Mozambique's U.N. mission in Manhattan. "The evidence regarding his…

Jun

2023

By SARAH N. LYNCH

What is the Espionage Act and what might it mean for Donald Trump?

WORLD

FORMER U.S. President Donald Trump has become the most high-profile person to ever face criminal charges under the Espionage Act for the unlawful retention of sensitive national defence records. In all, Trump faces 37 criminal counts, 31 of which relate to secret or top-secret classified documents. He is also charged with obstructing justice, conspiracy, concealment and false statements. WHAT IS THE ESPIONAGE ACT? The Espionage Act is an anti-spy law enacted by Congress shortly after the start of World War One. The statute criminalizes a broad array of conduct related to the mishandling of sensitive government records connected to the "national defence,"…

Apr

2023

By The African Mirror

What does Trump’s indictment mean for his political future – and the strength of US democracy?

SPECIAL FEATURES: ANALYSIS

EVENTS often seem inevitable in hindsight. The indictment of former US President Donald Trump on criminal charges has been a possibility since the start of his presidency – arguably, since close to the beginning of his career in New York real estate. But until now, the potential consequences of such a cataclysmic development in American politics have been purely theoretical. EMMA SHORTIS, Lecturer, RMIT University Today, after much build-up in the media, The New York Times reported that a Manhattan grand jury has voted to indict Trump and the Manhattan district attorney will now likely attempt to negotiate Trump’s surrender.…

Mar

2023

By GRAM SLATTERY and NATHAN LAYNE

Trump warns of ‘death & destruction’ if charged with a crime

WORLD

FORMER U.S. President Donald Trump warned of potential "death & destruction" if he faces criminal charges, hours after New York prosecutors probing his hush-money payment to porn star Stormy Daniels said they would not be intimidated. The early Friday post on Trump's Truth Social media site was the latest in a string of verbal attacks on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg since last Saturday when Trump wrongly predicted he would be arrested three days later. Trump falsely claims his defeat in 2020 was the result of fraud - a claim that inspired his followers to launch a deadly Jan. 6,…

Mar

2023

By The African Mirror

Charges unlikely Wednesday in Trump hush-money probe as grand jury stays home

WORLD

KAREN FREIFELD FORMER President Donald Trump appeared unlikely to face criminal charges after a law enforcement source said a grand jury investigating alleged illegal hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels would not meet again before Thursday. The grand jury, a panel of U.S. citizens residing in Manhattan, has been considering the evidence in one of many legal probes swirling around Trump as he mounts a comeback bid for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. The grand jury was told to stay home on Wednesday, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the secret proceedings. It was unclear how…

May

2021

By The African Mirror

Retired judge apologises to Phosa

NEWS

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AN ugly public spat between two of South African leading legal eagles has ended with an apology and withdrawal of criminal charges. ANC veteran Mathews Phosa and retired Constitutional Court judge Zak Yacoob have smoked the peace pipe after several days of a public exchange and threats of criminal action. At the heart of the dispute was the interpretation of the ANC “step aside” rule, in terms of which ANC members facing criminal charges are withdrawn from official positions. The settlement was brokered by Dr Khulu Mbatha, an ANC veteran, advisor to President Cyril Ramaphosa and a…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

U.S. charges Libyan in 1988 Lockerbie bombing that killed 270

NEWS

MARK HOSENBALL and DAVID SHEPARDSON THE United States has unsealed criminal charges against a third alleged conspirator in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, that killed 270 people, mostly Americans. The suspect, Abu Agila Mohammad Masud Kheir Al-Marimi, a former senior Libyan intelligence official, was charged with two criminal counts related to the bombing. He is in Libyan custody, U.S. Attorney General William Barr said, adding that U.S. officials are hopeful that Libya will allow Masud to be tried in the United States. "No amount of time or distance will stop the United States and…