Two former German lawmakers face trial for taking bribes from  Azerbaijan

ArmInfo. Two former members of the Bundestag from the CDU/CSU have to answer to the Munich Higher Regional Court (OLG) on charges of bribery in connection with the "Azerbaijan affair," www.merkur.de reports.

According to a spokesman, the court has accepted the charges brought  by the Munich Public Prosecutor's Office without any changes, and the  proceedings are set to begin on January 16. The Munich Merkur  newspaper had previously reported on this.

The accused deny the allegations

The former CDU parliamentarian Axel Fischer from the Karlsruhe-Land  constituency is suspected of bribery, and the former CSU MP Eduard  Lintner from Lower Franconia is suspected of bribing elected  officials. The aim of the payments was to influence decisions in  Azerbaijan's favor in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of  Europe (PACE). Both have always denied the allegations. They are  presumed innocent until a verdict is reached.

According to investigators, Lintner, who served in the Bundestag for  33 years and in the PACE until 2010, is said to have received  "multiple millions of euros through 19 foreign letterbox companies"  through two companies up until 2016. He is said to have passed some  of this money on to other MPs who were supposed to influence  decisions in Azerbaijan's interest. Fischer, who was active as EPP  parliamentary group leader in the PACE from 2010 to 2018, is said to  have given positive speeches in the interests of Azerbaijan and  passed on confidential documents at an early stage. In return, he is  said to have received a bribe of 21,800 euros in 2016.

Influencing has only been a criminal offense since 2014

According to the public prosecutor's office, the charges relate to  payments made since September 2014.  Since then, influencing the  activities of members of the parliamentary assemblies of  international organizations such as PACE has been a criminal offense  in Germany.

Investigations lasted several years

The Higher Regional Court has also allowed charges to be brought  against two other defendants. The Attorney General's Office accuses  them primarily of aiding and abetting, for example by making contact  or processing payments. Another former MP, who was also under  investigation in the meantime, has died.

The investigation had dragged on for years. There had already been  searches at Lintner's home in 2020, and the following year the  Federal Criminal Police Office searched Fischer's office in the  Bundestag.