US senator allegedly accepted bribe from Qatar
In September, Robert Menendez is charged with bribery. The US senator allegedly accepted money from Egypt and favored military and secret service representatives. But money is also alleged to have flowed from another country - to secure investments for a businessman.
US Senator Robert "Bob" Menendez, who has been on trial for bribery for months, is also alleged to have lobbied Qatar for bribes. As the federal prosecutor's office in New York announced on Tuesday (local time), Menendez, who was already indicted in September for alleged bribery from Egypt, is now also accused of helping a businessman to secure investments worth millions from a fund linked to the Gulf emirate in return for bribes.
According to the indictment, the now 70-year-old Menendez and his wife allegedly accepted and received "hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes", including gold bars, large sums of money and other valuables. In return, he allegedly acted in a manner "advantageous" to Qatar, the indictment continued. Menendez is said to have introduced the US businessman to a member of the Qatari ruling family, who also managed the investment fund in question.
While the Qatar-linked fund was considering investing in a real estate project of the businessman in the US state of New Jersey, Menendez made "numerous public statements" in favor of the Qatari government, according to the investigators. The businessman involved in the case has also been charged and has pleaded not guilty in the proceedings. The trial has been scheduled to begin on May 6.
Menendez was first charged with corruption in September. He has been accused for months of having worked as an unregistered "foreign agent" for Egypt in return for bribes and of having favored Egyptian military and secret service representatives, among others.
Gold bars, money, luxury car
The influential chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee is alleged to have accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from three businessmen between 2018 and 2022 for his work for Egypt. During a search of his home, investigators found 480,000 dollars (more than 450,000 euros) in cash, gold bars worth more than 100,000 dollars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible, according to the indictment.
In return for the payments, Menendez is said to have promoted the interests of the businessmen - including a US-Egyptian businessman - and the Egyptian government. The party friend of President Joe Biden has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty in court. If convicted, he would face a long prison sentence.
Menendez has so far refused calls for his resignation from his own ranks; however, the Democrat has suspended his chairmanship of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Menendez's wife was also charged along with him.
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US Senator Robert Menendez, under investigation for alleged bribery from Egypt and Qatar, is also accused of accepting funds from Qatari sources to lobby on behalf of a businessman. Despite facing charges and pleading not guilty, Menendez's efforts in promoting Qatari interests and securing investments could potentially impact the Democrat party's stance on foreign relations, particularly with regard to the USA and Qatar.
In a parallel investigation, the Republican Senator, who has been a strong advocate for Egypt, is reportedly under scrutiny for accepting luxury gifts and contributions from Egyptian businessmen, raising concerns about potential corruption in US-Egypt relations.
Source: www.ntv.de
