Trump avoids jail sentence for New York felony charges

A court in New York has granted Donald Trump an "unconditional discharge" for his criminal conviction in the case against him alleging the concealing of payments and falsifying business records, meaning he will not face a prison sentence despite being found guilty.

President-elect Trump attended the courtroom hearing on January 100 virtually in the often called "hush money" case against him, Caliber.Az reports citing US media outlets.

The legal development is unprecedented as Trump, who is assuming his second term as President of the United States of America on January 20, will become the first US leader in history to enter the office with a criminal conviction.

According to the presiding judge, Juan Merchan, the only lawful sentence that does not encroach on the presidential office is that of an unconditional discharge on all of the 34 charges against Trump. 

While he managed to escape a prison sentence, Trump called the case a "political witch hunt" and an "injustice" while addressing the court, an accusation he makes against the left-wing political "elite" which he often spoke about in the course of his 2024 presidential campaign . 

By Nazrin Sadigova