Das DOJ wirft dem texanischen Abgeordneten Henry Cuellar vor, sein Amt genutzt zu haben, um die US-Politik gegenüber Aserbaidschan zu beeinflussen

Let’s guess whose been funding his campaigns…

>In exchange for the bribes paid by the Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to use his office to influence U.S. foreign policy in favor of Azerbaijan

>Prosecutors allege Cuellar and his wife, Imelda Cuellar, began accepting the roughly $600,000 in bribes beginning as early as December of 2014 from an oil and gas company owned by Azerbaijan’s government as well as a bank headquartered in Mexico City.

>While Cuellar’s wife allegedly propped up sham front companies on the promise of providing consulting services to the two companies in order to launder the payments, she „performed little to no legitimate work under the contracts“ all while Rep. Cuellar was promising to use his office for the benefit of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy as well as influencing „high-ranking“ officials in the executive branch to benefit the Mexico City bank, according to the indictment.

>**According to the indictment, Cuellar influenced a series of legislative measures regarding Azerbaijan’s conflict with neighboring Armenia, inserted language favored by Azerbaijan into legislation and committee reports governing certain security and economic aid programs and consulted with representatives of Azerbaijan regarding their efforts to lobby to the U.S. government.**

>Cuellar once served as a co-chair of the Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus, and repeatedly met with Azerbaijan officials, including the ambassador of Azerbaijan, Elin Suleymanov in that role.

>As for the Mexico City bank, Cuellar is alleged to have accepted bribes in exchange for influencing federal regulation of the financial industry to benefit the bank and its affiliates, according to the indictment.

>Also, the indictment said Cuellar allegedly „advised and pressured“ executive branch officials regarding anti-money laundering enforcement practices that threatened the bank’s business interests, supported legislation that would have blocked federal regulation of the payday lending industry and supported revisions to money-laundering statutes favored by the Mexican corporate conglomerate to which the bank was a member.