A former German lawmaker has been found guilty in a corruption case for promoting Azerbaijan’s interests in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in exchange for tens of thousands of euros.
A Munich court handed Axel Fischer, a former Bundestag member from the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a suspended sentence of one year and two months. The court also barred Fischer from holding public office for two years and ordered him to pay €12,000 to an organization supporting victims of crime.
Fischer and his lawyer denied the charges prior to the verdict, insisting there had been no illegal relationship between the politician and Azerbaijani representatives.
Fischer served as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe from 2010 to 2018.
