Prosecutors say the bribes included cash, gold, and payments towards a home mortgage.
NEW YORK: US senator Robert Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey, and his wife have been charged with bribery offences in connection with their relationship with three New Jersey businessmen, federal prosecutors said on Friday.
Prosecutors said the bribes included cash, gold, payments toward a home mortgage, compensation for a job with minimal requirements, a luxury vehicle and other things of value. Menendez, the chair of the influential US Senate committee on foreign relations, had previously been charged in New Jersey with accepting private flights, campaign contributions and other bribes from a wealthy patron in exchange for official favours, but a 2017 trial ended in a jury deadlock.Menendez and his wife face three criminal counts each: conspiracy to commit bribery, conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, and conspiracy to commit extortion under colour of official right.
Egypt at the time was one of the largest recipients of US military aid, but the state department had withheld US$195 million in 2017 and cancelled an additional US$65.7 million until the country could demonstrate improvements on human rights and democracy.