Scotland: ‘Don’t Haste Ye Back’ —Trump’s Turnberry Woes Continue
There have been calls for years for Scotland to take a look at Trump’s financing of Turnberry, and seek an Unexplained Wealth Order, or UWO — the so-called ‘McMafia law’— against his cash purchase of Turnberry. Looks like it might actually happen now:
Forbes: Even Scotland Could Investigate Trump’s Business Empire:
His mother was Scottish and Donald Trump has even said he “would love to return to Scotland.” But the Scots are not so enthusiastic with some suspecting he has used their country as a money laundering haven.
A leading QC will argue on Monday (25 January) that Scotland’s government could investigate Trump’s Scottish assets using powers designed to uncover criminal activity and money laundering.
Unexplained wealth orders (UWOs) were dubbed McMafia orders when they were created to uncover mafia-style criminal activity (McMafia was a popular TV show at the time). Now, two legal experts say, UWOs should be used to investigate the former president of the United States.
Let’s take a look at Trump’s financing for Turnberry, shall we? Scotsman:
The £35 million purchase price for Turnberry was settled in cash. However, questions about the finances behind Mr Trump’s resorts predate his single term in office.
In February 2019, the New York Times reported that Mr Trump sought to secure a loan in 2016 from Deutsche Bank against its Miami resort to pay for work at Turnberry, a story his firm called “absolutely false.”
In November 2008, the then Trump Organisation executive vice-president, George Sorial, said Mr Trump had £1bn “sitting in the bank and ready to go” to finance his inaugural Scottish course.
But The Scotsman later revealed that a month beforehand, Mr Trump wrote personally to a Bank of Scotland executive, asking the institution for a 15-year £23m mortgage and a construction loan of £15m to establish a hotel in St Andrews. The bank refused.
Trump paid for Turnberry in cash. Where did that cash come from?
The Independent says:
Scottish government urged to investigate Donald Trump over purchase of Turnberry golf course.
[…]Ms Sturgeon also aimed a parting shot at Mr Trump in her remarks, which were given shortly ahead of his departure from office.She said: “Firstly I’m sure many of us across the chamber and across Scotland will be very happy to say cheerio to Donald Trump today.
“I think ‘don’t haste ye back’ might be the perfect rejoinder to him.”
I think Nicola Sturgeon is hoping this will be grounds for another independence referendum; I certainly do.
In other Scottish news, BrewDog continues their trolling of Trump to include not just naming a beer after him, but by starting a petition on change.org to change the name of Prestwick airport—where Trump flies when going to Turnberry— to ‘Joe Biden International’.