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The latest accusations against US Senator Bob Menendez involve allegations of taking bribes and leveraging his political power to benefit a foreign government, specifically Qatar.
On Tuesday, federal prosecutors released a new indictment accusing Mr. Menendez, a Democratic representative from New Jersey, of receiving gifts from Fred Daibes, a New Jersey businessman who is also a defendant, in return for helping secure millions of dollars from an investment fund connected to the government of Qatar.
According to reports, Mr Menendez is said to have received expensive watches, a gold bar, and money in return for connecting Mr Daibes with a member of the royal family of Qatar. The royal family member was also a key figure in the Qatari Investment Company. In addition, Mr Menendez is accused of publicly praising Qatar.
The federal prosecutors claimed that Mr. Menendez willingly received gifts with the knowledge that Mr. Daibes anticipated him to persuade the Qatari Investment Company to invest with him. This included performing actions that would benefit the government of Qatar.
The updated indictment also claims that a Qatari representative gave tickets to the 2023 Formula One Grand Prix to a family member of Mr. Menendez’s wife, Nadine Menendez, at the request of the senator from New Jersey.
A recent allegation has been made against the New Jersey senator, who was charged, along with his wife and three businessmen, in September for allegedly being involved in a bribery plot that favored Egypt.
Sen Bob Menendez and his wife Nadine Arslanian, pose for a photo on Capitol Hill in Washington in December 2022
The updated indictment expands the time period and offers further information regarding the purported bribery plot.
The indictment now includes claims that Mr. Menendez was involved in the Qatar scheme from 2021 to 2023, but there are no additional charges.
During his tenure as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 2021 to 2022, Mr. Menendez made positive statements about Qatar while investment talks were taking place.
The updated accusation claims that Mr. Menendez and his spouse made an effort to conceal the alleged bribery plot they are accused of being involved in, following a search of their residence by federal agents.
The Menendez couple is being charged with attempting to reimburse a sum of over $20,000 in bribe funds by disguising it as loans. It is alleged that they used the money to make payments for a Mercedes-Benz and their home mortgage.
As of now, Mr. Menendez and the four co-defendants have entered a plea of not guilty to the accusations.
The commencement of the trial is anticipated to take place in May.
Source: independent.co.uk
