New York City Mayor Eric Adams has pleaded not guilty to a five-count federal charges of bribery, wire fraud, conspiracy, accepting illegal foreign campaign donations of about $10 million and lavish trips in exchange for political favours.

Responding to the charges against the 64-year-old read by Magistrate Judge Katharine Parker of the Manhattan federal courthouse on Friday, Mr Adams said, “I am not guilty, your honour.”

The court, therefore, released the mayor “on his own signature” with a condition that he won’t contact anyone involved in the indictment.

Speaking after the hearing, the mayor’s counsel, Alex Spiro, who had vowed to file a motion to dismiss the charges, said, “This isn’t even a real case. This is the airline upgrade corruption case.”

Mr Adams, had at a press conference on Thursday, vowed to fight back, and rejected calls demanding his resignation

He will again appear in court on October 2, 2024, before the U.S. District Judge Dale Ho. 

Federal prosecutors had on Thursday unsealed an indictment against the mayor, alleging that he received gifts from Turkish officials and businessmen, including free hotel stays and luxury flights to France, China, Sri Lanka, India, Hungary, Ghana and Turkey, in exchange for favours, especially with his influence.

Prosecutors also alleged that the illegal act by the mayor started when he was Brooklyn’s borough president in 2015, adding that while the benefits were not in annual financial disclosures, he at times, created or instructed for fake paper trails to be created.