NEW YORK: New York mayor Eric Adams pleaded not guilty on Friday to charges of fraud and bribery in a case that marks a stunning downfall for a man once touted as a future Democratic Party star.

Adams, who appeared before a judge in a Manhattan federal court, is the first sitting New York mayor to be criminally indicted.

He is accused of wire fraud, soliciting illegal campaign donations and a bribery conspiracy involving Turkish citizens and at least one Turkish official. Judge Katherine Parker set the next hearing for Wednesday (Oct 2).

The allegations prompted calls for his resignation, but Adams has remained defiant, saying that he is looking “forward to defending myself” and urging New Yorkers to “wait to hear our side of the story”. Accompanied by aides, the 64-year-old mayor made no comments to waiting reporters, but gave a thumbs-up as he entered the courthouse.

He wore a dark blue suit and a purple tie. “I am not guilty, your honour,” he said in court.

Presenting the charges on Thursday, district attorney Damian Williams said the mayor was “secretly being showered” with gifts for years.

“The conduct alleged in the indictment — the foreign money, the corporate money, the years of concealment _ is a grave breach of the public’s trust,” Williams told journalists.

The 57-page document accuses the mayor of America’s biggest city of crimes going back a decade, when Adams, a Democrat, took office as Brooklyn borough’s president.

According to the charges, he accepted luxury international flights, hotel suites and free high-end restaurant meals, including from Turkish associates in return for favours.

Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2024