The US congressman was charged with accepting a bribe from Azerbaijan – 2024-05-06 09:51:14

Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar of the US House of Representatives and his wife were charged with accepting a bribe of about 600 thousand dollars from Azerbaijan. “Interfax” informs about this, referring to the indictment of the Texas federal court.

Cuellar is accused of receiving payments from an Azerbaijani oil company and a Mexican bank. The congressman then laundered the funds through consulting contracts at shell companies owned by his wife, Imelde Cuellar, according to the US Department of Justice.

According to the version of the Department of Justice, the congressman used his influence on high-ranking people in the US Congress for the benefit of a foreign company and bank.

The congressman and his wife were charged with conspiracy to receive a bribe, violating the prohibition of public officials acting as foreign agents, and money laundering. If found guilty, the politician and his wife face tens of years in prison.

According to the American media, the couple appeared in court for the first time yesterday, a decision was made to release them on $100,000 bail. In a statement published yesterday, the congressman claimed that both he and his wife are innocent.