On Thursday, March 4, the German Bundestag revoked the immunity of MP Axel Fischer, a member of the ruling coalition of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to give investigators the right to conduct searches and seizures in the criminal case of taking bribe from the Azerbaijani authorities, reports Deutsche Welle.
The resolution to revoke immunity was adopted with unanimous decision, following the relevant recommendations of the Munich Prosecutor General’s Office and the Federal Ministry of Justice. The decision is related to Fischer’s possible lobbying activities in favor of the Azerbaijani authorities.
The General Prosecutor’s Office in Munich said the investigation was underway on suspicion of bribery. According to the information, searches were carried out in Baden-Württemberg and Berlin, in particular, in the deputy office in the Bundestag and residential premises. The operation involved about 60 employees of the prosecutor’s office and the Federal Office for Criminal Cases.
The searches were preceded by large-scale investigative actions directed against former and current Bundestag MPs, who were part of the German delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) who are accused of taking bribes from the Azerbaijani authorities for conducting lobbying in international organizations.
“Among other things, they are accused of receiving money from Azerbaijan during the period of 2008-2016 through British fictitious companies with accounts in Baltic banks,” the prosecutor’s office said in a statement. According to the Prosecutor’s Office, the receipt of these funds were obligated to support resolutions at PACE, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe by Azerbaijani MPs.
