Germany’s Higher Regional Court in Munich has convicted former German Member of Parliament (Bundestag) Axel Fischer for accepting bribes in the “Azerbaijani affair,” finding him guilty of promoting Azerbaijan’s interests in exchange for money while serving in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). On January 22, 2026, the court sentenced Fischer to a suspended prison term of one year and two months and banned him from running for public office for the next two years, reports Deutsche Welle.
Fischer, a member of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was ordered by the court to pay €32,000: €20,000 as partial repayment of the bribe and an additional €12,000 as a donation to the Die Stiftung Opferhilfe foundation, which supports victims of crime, while prosecutors had demanded a suspended sentence of one year and eight months and a payment of €100,000, and the defense insisted on an acquittal.
Zartonk Media previously reported that in late December 2025, German authorities detained Fischer after the Munich Higher Regional Court issued an arrest warrant when he repeatedly failed to appear in court during the same Azerbaijan-linked corruption case tied to PACE, where he served from 2010 to 2018.
Bribes Linked to Azerbaijan and Artsakh Vote
The Munich court ruled it proven that Fischer took money from Azerbaijan to advance the country’s interests inside PACE. According to the court’s press release, Fischer took a position favorable to Azerbaijan during a 2016 PACE vote on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), voted and spoke in favor of Azerbaijan, and supported Baku in his speech. During his time in PACE, he also repeatedly passed confidential documents to Azerbaijani representatives.
The ruling confirms that Azerbaijan’s bribery-driven influence campaign reached into European institutions, including decisions tied directly to Artsakh and Armenian interests.
In explaining the verdict, the presiding judge stated that Fischer had received at least €79,000 in cash no later than early 2011. However, only payments received after new legislation came into force in September 2014 were legally punishable, and this amount formed the basis of the court’s ruling.
Fischer consistently denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings. His lawyers accused prosecutors of conducting a one-sided investigation. Due to his repeated failure to appear at hearings and evading court proceedings for an extended period, Fischer was taken into custody in late December 2025. The court stated that Fischer attempted to evade prosecution by allowing the statute of limitations to expire.
Transparency International: “The Verdict Will Go Down in Legal History”
Transparency International called the ruling “historic,” saying it “will go down in legal history.” The international anti-corruption organization said the verdict marks the first time a former Bundestag deputy has been found guilty of accepting bribes while holding a parliamentary mandate.
The case is now a landmark example of how Baku’s corruption efforts penetrated European politics.
In the same case, in July 2025, former Bundestag deputy from the CSU party Eduard Lintner was sentenced to nine months suspended for bribery. The verdict against Fischer follows Lintner’s conviction in the same Azerbaijan bribery case.
For Armenians, the ruling carries particular significance, as the case centers on PACE votes and positions involving Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and the Armenia–Azerbaijan conflict, and as the court confirmed that Azerbaijan’s influence campaign extended to those PACE decisions, including a 2016 vote in which Fischer supported Baku’s position.
Background: The “Azerbaijani Laundromat” Network
Zartonk Media previously reported that investigators have described the Fischer and Lintner case as part of a broader scheme known as the “Azerbaijani laundromat,” in which Azerbaijan is accused of systematically bribing European politicians to soften criticism of its authorities and block human rights-related resolutions.
Zartonk Media also previously reported that another implicated politician, former CDU lawmaker Karin Strenz, faced suspicion in the case but passed away in 2021.
In the same network, Zartonk Media previously reported that Lintner acknowledged receiving money from Baku to promote the position that Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) belongs to Azerbaijan, while denying transferring funds to other parliamentarians.
Timeline: How the Azerbaijan Bribery Case Reached This Point
March 4, 2021
Germany’s Bundestag unanimously revokes Axel Fischer’s parliamentary immunity, allowing investigators to pursue bribery accusations tied to Azerbaijan-linked lobbying.
March 2021
German prosecutors conduct searches in Baden-Württemberg and Berlin, including Fischer’s Bundestag office and residential premises. The operation involves around 60 investigators.
January 30, 2024
German prosecutors charge multiple individuals, including Fischer and Eduard Lintner, alleging corruption and bribery linked to lobbying for Azerbaijan inside PACE.
May 15, 2025
Eduard Lintner admits in court to handling payments from Azerbaijan, while disputing that they constituted bribes.
July 31, 2025
Lintner is convicted by the Higher Regional Court of Munich for accepting bribes from Azerbaijan’s government in the Azerbaijani Laundromat scandal and receives a nine-month suspended prison sentence.
January 22, 2026
Germany’s Higher Regional Court in Munich convicts Axel Fischer of bribery in the “Azerbaijani affair” and sentences him to one year and two months in prison, suspended.
