Qatar is busy making deals at Trump World Tower, a New York City condominium managed by the Trump Organization.
Qatar’s permanent mission to the United Nations is selling a 14th-floor three-bedroom condo for $3.5 million at the skyscraper—a building at the center of claims that President Donald Trump could be violating the Emoluments Clause of the U.S. Constitution by collecting building fees from foreign governments.
More:John Krasinski and Emily Blunt Sell Brooklyn House for $6.562M
The Middle Eastern country also bought a 2,800-square-foot apartment on the 52nd floor at the tower in January, paying $6.5 million, property records show. Qatar’s mission to the U.N. closed on the condo only a few weeks after a U.S. federal judge threw out a lawsuit alleging the president is breaking the law by receiving monthly fees from foreign delegations based at Trump World Tower, according to The Guardian, which reported the deal on Friday.
The 72-story skyscraper, which is steps from the United Nations, is a popular location among foreign governments and individuals with business at the U.N., property records show.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia owns a 10,000-square-foot spread on the 45th floor, and U.N. missions from India, Afghanistan and Kuwait also own there, city records show.
In total, Qatar’s U.N. mission owns four apartments at the Trump-branded building, paying nearly $16 million for them since 2004, records show.
The country’s latest purchase is a three-bedroom unit with panoramic views over Manhattan, granite countertops and access to the tower’s luxury amenities, which include a 60-foot lap pool, according to a former listing with Sotheby’s International Realty.
"These apartments, plus the recent unit, were all purchased due to their location, nothing more," a representative from Qatar’s mission to the U.N. told The Guardian in an email.
Qatar’s mission to the U.N. owns much more valuable real estate, including a $19 million penthouse, at nearby 50 UN Plaza, a Foster + Partners-designed building by Zeckendorf Development and Global Holdings.
From Penta:Aston Martin Unveils New Personal Submarine Design
In December, a judge tossed a lawsuit alleging Mr. Trump violated the U.S. Constitution through business dealing with foreign nations, including building fees paid at Trump World Tower. "Foreign entities continue to pay yearly common charges for building amenities amounting to tens of thousands of dollars each year," the plaintiffs said in the suit.
The judge granted a motion by Mr. Trump’s lawyer to dismiss the case, agreeing that only Congress had the authority to take action. The Trump Organization did not immediately return a request for comment.