Scotland’s highest court has granted permission for campaigners to seek a judicial review of Donald Trump’s unexplained wealth amid ongoing calls to scrutinize how the former president was able to purchase two golf resorts in the country.
Donald Trump, with wife Melania and son Barron watching the British Open in Scotland, where the former president is being investigated for the purchase of two golf courses.
A petition set was set up U.S.-based non-profit activism organization Avaaz to pursue a Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO) against Trump—a court order issued by a British court to force an individual to reveal sources of their finances, also known as a “McMafia” order.
Politicians and campaigners have called for investigation into how Trump funded the all-cash purchases of his two Scottish golf resorts of Turnberry and Trump International Golf Links in Aberdeenshire.
Trump had spent more than than $300 million (£217m) in buying and developing the resorts.
The petition argued that there are “no reasonable grounds” to suspect that known sources of lawfully obtained income would have been sufficient to pay for Trump’s acquisition of the gold courses.
The move was granted by Lord Sandison of the Court of Session in Scotland, ruling that there was a “sensible legal argument to be had” on the matters raised by the petition and he grants “permission for the petition to proceed without condition or restriction.”
In February, the Scottish parliament rejected a call for the government to investigate how Trump funded the purchase of the golf courses by a vote of 89 to 32.
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie, who brought the UWO motion to Scotland’s parliament, has praised the decision from the judge
“I’m glad we are a step forward in getting some clarity over why Trump’s business dealings in Scotland haven’t been investigated,” he told The Scotsman.
“It should never have got to the stage of a legal challenge from an NGO for the Scottish Government to confirm or deny whether they will seek a ‘McMafia’ order.
