Two former German MPs went on trial in Munich on Thursday, accused of accepting bribes from Azerbaijan in exchange for promoting Baku's interests at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
Axel Fischer and Eduard Lintner, former Bundestag deputies, were members of the German delegation to the international human rights organization to which Azerbaijan belongs. 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. The two ex-MPs were indicted in January last year and deny all allegations against them.
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 funneled to a Berlin-based organization 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 to using some of the funds for "private purposes" but maintained that the criminal charges were "not factually justified."
Prosecutors further allege that Lintner received an additional 591,320 euros (US$609,060) between December 2014 and July 2016 to persuade other members of the German Bundestag, PACE, and the European Parliament 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 through 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 favor 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.
"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," Fischer’s lawyer told Paper Trail Media and ZDF.
In 2017, OCCRP revealed that Lintner had received a total of 819,500 euros (US$842,803) from the Azerbaijani Laundromat. At the time, Lintner claimed the payments were intended to fund GEFDAB.
