"US Authorities Target $7 Million Trump Tower Apartment Allegedly Tied to Congolese President's Daughter in Corruption Probe"

US Authorities Seek Forfeiture of $7 Million Apartment in Trump Tower which Allegedly Linked to Congolese President's Daughter in Corruption Probe

The United States authorities have initiated legal proceedings to seize a $7 million apartment located in a Donald Trump-branded luxury tower in Manhattan. Prosecutors allege that the property, a unit in the Trump International Hotel & Tower, was acquired through illicit means by one of the children of Congolese President, Denis Sassou-Nguesso.

The forfeiture complaint, filed in Manhattan federal court and obtained by The Daily Beast, targets unit 32G in the Trump International Hotel & Tower at 1 Central Park West, New York, NY 10023. According to the complaint, the apartment was purchased with funds traceable to violations of specified unlawful activities and U.S. law, including the misappropriation, theft, or embezzlement of hundreds of millions of dollars from the Congolese treasury.

Denis Sassou-Nguesso, who has held power in Congo almost uninterrupted since 1979, has been described as a corrupt kleptocrat. The apartment, boasting special features such as floor-to-ceiling windows, 10' ceilings, a gracious entrance gallery, living/dining room, a windowed eat-in-kitchen with washer/dryer, two bedrooms with spectacular views and luxurious baths ensuite, plus a powder room, capacious closets, and a separate bar, ideal for entertaining, is among the luxury properties targeted in the corruption probe.

The ownership structure of the Trump International Hotel & Tower is complex, with the Trump Organization managing the building and owning some units, while individual owners hold the rest. A Trump Organization spokeswoman clarified that if the sale did occur, it would have been by a third-party unit owner unrelated to the organization.

The ties between Congolese first-daughter Claudia Lemboumba Sassou-Nguesso and the Trump International condo were first brought to light in 2019 by anti-corruption NGO Global Witness. The apartment was allegedly purchased via a network of shell companies and intermediaries that routed stolen funds from Congo's public coffers through entities in Portugal, Cyprus, the British Virgin Islands, and Brazil, before reaching the U.S.

Despite remaining unoccupied since its purchase, emails from Claudia Lemboumba Sassou-Nguesso about interior design work at the property indicate ongoing involvement in the apartment. The forfeiture complaint seeks to reclaim the apartment as it is traceable to a conspiracy to launder the proceeds of specified unlawful activities.

Trump's properties have a history of attracting individuals with checkered pasts, including Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and alleged Russian gangster David Bogatin. While Trump and the Trump Organization have not been accused of wrongdoing in relation to the Sassou-Nguesso deal, the investigation is ongoing.

The US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York declined to comment on the matter, indicating that the investigation is still ongoing.

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