Former German lawmaker found guilty in Azerbaijan influence trial

A former German lawmaker on Thursday was handed a suspended sentence in a corruption trial surrounding the purchase of German lawmakers' votes by Azerbaijan.

Axel Fischer, a former member of the German parliament for the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU), was found guilty by the Munich Higher Regional Court of bribery while serving as an elected official.

According to the indictment, Azerbaijan sought to influence decisions in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for years with the help of cash payments.

Fischer, who was active in PACE from 2010 to 2018, was found guilty of having made positive speeches in Azerbaijan's interest and forwarded confidential documents at an early stage.

The court saw it as proven that he received tens of thousands of euros in cash payments over the years.

Fischer was given a suspended prison sentence of one year and two months, after his defence team had called for his acquittal.

He was also stripped of the right to stand for office for two years and ordered to pay €12,000 ($14,000) to an organization dedicated to supporting victims of crime.

Fischer and his defence team rejected the "ultimately untenable allegations" until the very end.

They maintained that there were no illegal agreements or instructions between Fischer and any representatives of Azerbaijan.