The Ethics Committee of the House of Representatives did not reveal any violations in the actions of US lawmakers who in May 2013 visited Baku for money of the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR.)
According to Committee, the congressmen received permission to go to the shore of the Caspian Sea, and did not know what the costs will be paid by the local authorities, according to Itar-Tass.
"When a member of the House of Representatives receives in advance written approval for a gift (a trip abroad), it protects them from any actions by the Committee," said in the report.
As a result of a three-month investigation, a survey study of 12 people and nearly 200 pages of documents the Committee concluded that 10 American legislators - six Democrats and four Republicans - were misled.
According to US media, the lobbying firm of Houston (Texas), which worked in the US for the benefit of the Azerbaijani government and which organized the trip of Congressmen to Baku, pretended to be the main sponsor of the event, and did not inform that it is financed by SOCAR.
The head of this company refused to address the Committee, using the Fifth Amendment to the US Constitution, which allows people not to incriminate themselves.
The trial in the case began in May 2015, when the Washington Post reported that the Azerbaijani oil company spent $750,000 to ensure the visit of US guests.
The anti-corruption law prohibits members of the US Congress to accept gifts from foreign governments and travel at their own expense in order to prevent foreign influence on American politics.
In this trip participated dozens of members of legislative bodies from different states of America and their family members. Official Baku does not explain the meaning of this expensive "tour" and the reasons why such an event is paid from public funds.
In reality, the amount of the costs is much higher than these $750,000, and does not account for the huge amount paid the lobbyist campaign.-02D-
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