ArmInfo. The head of the Bright Armenia party and the relevant faction Edmon Marukyan informed on his Facebook page that the Milan court found former PACE member Luca Volonte guilty of taking a bribe of 0.5 million euros for blocking a report on political prisoners in Azerbaijan.
The MP recalled that a corruption scandal had erupted in PACE at one time, connected with the fact that some delegates were suspected of taking bribes from the Azerbaijani leadership for promoting their interests in the structure.
"The Armenian delegates have raised this issue more than once during the PACE sessions and, finally, justice has triumphed. Luca Volonte was sentenced to 4 years in prison, " Marukyan wrote.
To note, in 2017, a scandal erupted in PACE, dubbed the "Azerbaijani Laundromat". According to the facts that surfaced, Azerbaijan laundered $ 2.9 billion with the help of fictitious companies in the UK. This money was used to bribe European politicians who lobbied for Azerbaijan's interests in the EU and blocked resolutions condemning human rights violations in the former Soviet republic.
Corruption metastases in Azerbaijan have not bypassed even UNESCO. Recently, the chief secretary of the organization resigned, as her husband was involved in this corruption scandal. Even CNN has been involved in Azerbaijani corruption intrigues.