Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani declared bankruptcy in a New York court on Thursday, after being sentenced last Friday to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers for defaming them.
Giuliani, who was personal lawyer of former US President Donald Trump (2017-2021), declared assets estimated between one and ten million dollars, while his debts are estimated between 100 and 500 million dollars, according to US media. .
The former mayor was convicted last week for accusing two election workers of fraud after the 2020 presidential election, in which Trump lost to the current president, Joe Biden.
Giuliani has been facing financial problems for some time. According to the local press, he has not yet deposited the $200,000 fine that the authorities imposed on him in August for this same case.
In a statement reported by The New York Times, Giuliani’s political advisor, Ted Goodman, defended that the bankruptcy “should not surprise anyone” and stressed that his decision will give him time to appeal the Court’s decision. The former mayor has defended that his conduct is protected by freedom of expression.
Trump is accused in two legal proceedings, one in a federal court in Washington and another in a state court in Georgia, for his attempts to overturn the result of the 2020 elections.
Giuliani is charged in the Georgia case as the Republican’s accomplice in the criminal plot. According to the local press, the former mayor had unsuccessfully asked Trump for money to be able to cover the costs of his legal cases.
