ArmInfo.The Guardian reveals new details of corruption scandal in PACE with the participation of Baku.
As the Guardian writes, one of the oldest human rights protection entities in Europe is called to implement next week a comprehensive investigation in respect to newly raised charges in voting falsification putting under risk its reputation.
Two men with working experience at the high level of Parliamentary Assembly of PACE told The Guardian, that they suppose Azerbaijan suggested its members bribes for the votes. The given entity consists of 324 spokesmen from national parliaments and holds a session 4 times a year in Strasburg.
"Arif Mammadov, ex Azerbaijani diplomat, who became the dissident, stated that the delegation members from this fuel rich country in European Council had 30 mln euro to lobbying in the institutes of this organization, including in the Parliamentary Assembly of European Council. At that, he added that everybody heard that figure in Azerbaijani delegation, though they never registered it. It was said that money was for the bribes to delegation members and PACE totally", Mammadov's words reports the edition.
Other Swedish delegate and ex Justice Minister Tobias Billstrom said that very trustworthy persons informed him that they were offered bribes for voting by the specified way. He is one of 64 parliamentarians , having signed the revolution with a call to conduct independent investigation of serious and trustworthy accusations in serious law violation over Azerbaijani votes.
At the same time, the edition writes that many critics note that Azerbaijan uses Assembly to create image of legitimacy to authoritarian governing of the President Ilham Aliev who runs the country since 2003.