Scotland urged to ‘take lead' on investigating Donald Trump's finances
New York-based Avaaz published a report in 2019 which raised questions about the $60 million Trump paid for Turnberry Golf Club amid further questions over the purchase of land for the US president's other golf course in Scotland – the Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire.
The group have since continually pushed for the Scottish Government to grant an Unexplained Wealth Order, a mechanism that allows investigations into 'politically exposed persons' like Trump suspected of involvement in serious crime.
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This included challenging the Scottish Government in the Court of Session in 2021, which determined that Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain QC must decide on whether to seek an Unexplained Wealth Order.
The Scottish Greens, notably co-leader Patrick Harvie, have also continually called for an investigation to be launched.
It comes after the New York State Supreme Court found Trump and his company guilty of civil fraud in February last year, finding them guilty of falsely inflating the value of Trump's assets – including his golf course in Aberdeen – which he has appealed.
The former president was also subsequently convicted by a New York jury on 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Nick Flynn, the legal director of Avaaz, told The National that Scottish ministers can and should still 'take the lead' on investigating Donald Trump's finances by seeking an unexplained wealth order, and pushing the Lord Advocate to do so.
'I am disappointed and surprised that the Scottish Government have avoided the issue for the best part of 6 years,' he said.
'We filed our brief to the Scottish ministers in April of 2019. It's 40 pages and it sets out the case for seeking an unexplained wealth order and points to the unanswered questions about where the money came from and basically says that the threshold for seeking permission for granting the order is easily cleared, and that remains our position.'
Flynn added: 'One might assume that the explanation for them not doing it and continually refusing to explain their position is a lack of political will and courage, and, you know, that's disappointing.
'And with Trump now back in the White House, I'm not sure they are going to have a change of heart.'
The organisation wrote to Lord Advocate Dorothy Bain in October last year.
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After a delay, the Scottish Government eventually responded in December in a letter seen by The National, with the same answer that has been given in past years.
'It remains the position, that given the sensitive nature of civil recovery work, the Civil Recovery Unit (CRU) operates a policy that it will neither confirm nor deny the existence of any on-going investigation or, in particular, whether any investigatory orders are being applied for,' the letter read.
'Frankly, I just really think that's not good enough and that the Scottish people are owed some transparency around this. There are serious questions. It is clearly a big issue,' Flynn said.
'There is a cloud of suspicion hanging over the golf course and they have the tools that they need to be able to clear that up, and they seem very reluctant to use it, which is, I think a dereliction of their public duties.
'If President Putin owned some golf course, there would be an unexplained wealth order on it right now. And I don't see a big difference.'
He added: 'The Scottish Government has a tool which is designed to shed light on the finances of politically exposed persons like President Trump or President Putin or whomever, and it's a win-win situation for everybody because it allows suspicions to be clarified.
"And I think they do have the opportunity to take a lead in using that tool to clear up a matter of huge public interest. I think they're showing a shocking lack of leadership at the moment.'
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