After the announcement of his indictment, the mayor said he was “innocent”.
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The Democratic mayor of New York, Eric Adams, has been indicted for illegal electoral campaign financing and corruption, in an investigation linked to Turkey which weakens him more than ever at the head of the largest city in the United States.
“Watered” with bribes
Unveiled Thursday morning, the indictment from the Manhattan federal prosecutor’s office mentions in particular acts of electronic fraud, illegal solicitation of electoral campaign contributions from a foreign person and the acceptance of bribes from a Turkish official.
In exchange, Eric Adams would have used his influence on a case for the construction of a skyscraper housing Turkey’s mission to the United Nations and its consulate general, we can read in the court document of more than 50 pages. Eric “Adams continued his corrupt dealings after he became mayor,” the document states.
Eric Adams was “watered” with bribes for years and “seriously broke the bond of trust with the public,” the Manhattan prosecutor said Thursday. The mayor has crossed “bright red lines” for years and “other people will be held accountable” in the investigation against him, he added.
“It’s a disappointment”
The mayor responded that he was “impatient” to defend himself, after having proclaimed his innocence, during a press briefing in front of his residence, which was searched early Thursday morning. He promised to continue his work with New Yorkers, thus implicitly ruling out resigning.
But this indictment sounds like a bolt from the blue and further weakens the mayor of the largest city in the United States (8.5 million inhabitants), a former African-American New York police captain elected in 2021 on promises of security, who saw his popularity rate drop during his mandate, while cases targeting the town hall multiplied. “I voted for him because he was a former police officer, I thought the city needed him. And I found that having a black mayor was very positive after the “Black Lives Matter” movement. But it’s a disappointment. He must resign,” New York voter Bartholomew Bland told AFP while crossing the crowded Grand Central station in Manhattan.
His indictment also risks embarrassing the Democratic camp, forty days before the presidential election between Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump, neck and neck in the polls. “I always knew that if I defended the interests of New Yorkers, I would be a target – and I became one,” defended Eric Adams. “If I am charged, I am innocent and I will fight with all my strength and my spirit,” added the mayor, 64 years old.
Several federal investigations
At least four federal investigations are underway, including three led by Manhattan prosecutors, targeting the mayor and those close to him, several of whom have resigned in recent days. In November 2023, the federal police (FBI) seized the mayor’s cell phones and electronic devices and searched the home of a fundraising manager for his campaign.
The announcement of the indictment comes after the resignation of several of the mayor’s allies in recent days, including his health commissioner, and the education chancellor, one of his very close friends. The police chief, Edward Caban, also targeted by an investigation, had already resigned earlier in September, just one year after his arrival at the head of the New York Police Department (NYPD) and its 36,000 agents.
(afp)
