The Left Pushes for Probe into Bribery within the Council of

Europe
occrp.org /en/daily/6975-the-left-pushes-for-probe-into-bribery-within-the-council-of-europe

inShare1

By: Aida erkez

A group of EU parliamentarians is calling for an investigation into allegations that Azerbaijan bribed EU officials in
return for nice reports about the countrys elections and human rights record.

Institutions_europeennes_IMG_4300, CC BY-SA 2.0 FRIn

cooperation with Berlingske and other partners, the OCCRP
uncovered that Azerbaijans elite was buying silence and praise
from influential European figures while throwing around 90
activists, journalists and opposition politicians into prison on
politically motivated charges.

Among the recipients were former Council of Europe members.

The body is tasked with upholding human rights, democracy,
and rule of law in member states.

Azerbaijan joined the Council of Europe in 2001 but kept a poor

human rights record among independent observers.

Initiated by the Greens, a group of EU parliamentarians has tried three times to table amendments to the bodys
report on corruption and human rights in third countries with the Azerbaijan scandal in mind.

They never had the support of the political majority.

However, the publishing of the Azerbaijani Laundromat on September 4 has given the initiative a new momentum.

The number of parliamentarians asking for a probe and for measures to prevent such corruption now rose to 95 and
they are not all left-leaning.

They proposed a new amendment to the parliamentary report, requesting that the body strongly denounces,
following the recent Azerbaijani Laundromat revelations, attempts by Azerbaijan and other autocratic regimes in
third countries to influence European decision-makers through illicit means.

The amendment also calls for a comprehensive Parliament investigation into such attempts by Baku and similar
regimes as well as for robust measures to prevent such corruption.

The body will vote on Wednesday.

inShare1

1/2