Two former German MPs on trial for accepting bribes from Azerbaijan

January 16, 2025 - Two former German MPs, Axel Fischer and Eduard Lintner, went on trial in Munich, accused of accepting bribes from Azerbaijan in exchange for promoting Baku's interests at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

The two ex-MPs were indicted in January last year, denying all allegations against them.

Axel Fischer and Eduard Lintner, former Bundestag deputies, were members of the German delegation to the international human rights organisation Azerbaijan belongs to.

• Both were implicated in the so-called Azerbaijani Laundromat—a Europe-wide lobbying and money-laundering scheme uncovered by OCCRP in 2017.

Baku reportedly used a secret US$2.9 billion slush fund

• To enrich its ruling elite and pay European politicians to improve Azerbaijan’s image amid widespread criticism of its human rights record. According to the indictment, Lintner received 3.4 million euros (US$3.498 million) between April 2008 and October 2014 under a framework agreement with an Azerbaijani state entity.

Prosecutors allege that

• Approximately 1.3 million euros (US$1.339 million) of these funds were funnelled to a Berlin-based organisation Lintner founded, the Society for the Promotion of German-Azerbaijani Relations (GEFDAB).

In a court statement obtained by the German public broadcaster ZDF,

• Lintner admitted using some funds for "private purposes" but maintained that the criminal charges were "not factually justified."

Prosecutors further allege that Lintner

• Received 591,320 euros (US$609,060) between December 2014 and July 2016 to persuade other German Bundestag, PACE, and the European Parliament members to adopt pro-Azerbaijani positions.

The indictment also claims that Lintner arranged for German MP and PACE member Karin Strenz to benefit from Azerbaijani funds in exchange for advancing Baku’s interests in her parliamentary activities.

• Initially, Strenz received money from Lintner’s company but later accepted cash payments during PACE sessions in Strasbourg.
• Investigations into Strenz’s actions were ongoing until her sudden death in 2021.
• The alleged involvement of Axel Fischer in the bribery scheme came to light following searches of Lintner's and Strenz’s homes and offices in 2020.

Prosecutors claim that Fischer

• Accepted 21,800 euros (US$22,454) in bribes from Azerbaijan in 2016.
• Earlier payments allegedly made to Fischer are now time-barred.

In return for the payments, Fischer is accused of

• Voting in favour of Azerbaijan at PACE, including on a January 2016 resolution concerning escalating violence between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.
• Fischer is also alleged to have transmitted confidential documents to Azerbaijani authorities.

Fischer’s lawyer told Paper Trail Media and ZDF.

• "In our view, the allegations by the public prosecutor against my client were already refuted during the preliminary proceedings.
• We will further demonstrate this during the main trial,"

In 2017, OCCRP revealed that Lintner had received 819,500 euros (US$842,803) from the Azerbaijani Laundromat. At the time, Lintner claimed the payments were intended to fund GEFDAB.

Source

• https://www.occrp.org/en/news/former-german-lawmakers-on-trial-over-alleged-bribes-from-azerbaijan
• https://www.transparency.org/en/blog/azerbaijani-laundromat-scandal-reaches-german-court?utm_source=share&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share-button