US congressman accused of taking bribes from Azerbaijan

Democratic Congressman Henry Cuellar and his wife Imelda have been charged with taking bribes worth about $600,000 from a state-owned energy company from Azerbaijan, the New York Times reports.

Recall that Cuellar received the bribes from 2014 to 2021. The money was legalised through shell companies of the Congressman's wife.

‘In exchange for bribes paid to an Azerbaijani oil and gas company, Congressman Cuellar allegedly agreed to influence U.S. foreign policy in favour of Azerbaijan,’ the U.S. Justice Department believes.

The Congressman's house and campaign headquarters were searched in January 2022, at which time Cuellar was the head of the US Congressional Caucus on Azerbaijan. In that position, he, along with several other congressmen, signed a letter calling on Congress to provide humanitarian support to refugees due to the war between Azerbaijan and Armenia. The indictment also mentions Cuellar's support for U.S. funding of Azerbaijan and a pro-Azerbaijani speech he delivered in the House of Representatives.

The Congressman pleaded not guilty. "I want to make it clear that both my wife and I are innocent of what we are accused of. Everything I have done in Congress has been to serve the people of South Texas", he said.

Note that Cuellar and his wife are charged with 14 paragraphs, some of which have a 20-year prison term as the ultimate penalty.