Grand jury indicts Trump and co-defendants on election meddling charges in Georgia

Former US President Donald Trump has been indicted on charges related to his efforts to overturn the outcome of the 2020 election in Georgia.

A grand jury charged Mr. Trump and 18 others, including former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows, and former White House lawyer John Eastman, with 41 counts, including racketeering.

Of these charges, 13 were against Mr. Trump. This marks the fourth instance this year that he faced criminal charges.

Mr. Trump denied all allegations, and his campaign claimed that the US had transformed into "a Marxist Third World dictatorship."

The investigation, led by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, commenced in February 2021, probing allegations of election interference involving Mr. Trump and associates.

Following the indictment's issuance on Monday night, Willis extended an opportunity for defendants to voluntarily surrender by noon on Friday, 25 August. She intends to try all 19 accused together.

The indictment asserted that the defendants "knowingly and wilfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully alter the election's outcome in favour of Trump."

The charges against the former president, detailed in a 98-page document, include violations of Georgia's racketeering act, solicitation of violation of oath by a public officer, conspiracy to impersonate a public officer, conspiracy to commit first-degree forgery, false statements and writings, and filing false documents.

In the indictment, the accused are referred to as a "criminal organization," charged with additional offenses such as witness tampering, computer trespass, theft, and perjury.

The most severe charge, violating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. The RICO Act aids prosecutors in establishing connections between individuals who broke the law and those who issued directives, primarily aimed at dismantling organized criminal groups.

Mr. Trump, who is currently leading the Republican Party's pursuit of its next White House candidate, denounced the investigation as politically driven. The Trump campaign depicted District Attorney Willis, a Democrat, as a "partisan" seeking to disrupt the 2024 presidential race and undermine the Trump campaign.

The campaign's statement expressed, "This coordinated action by a biased prosecutor in a heavily Democratic jurisdiction not only breaches the American people's trust but also exposes the true motive behind their fabricated allegations."

This marks the first instance in US history where a former president faces criminal charges.