CSU-Mann rejects verdict on bribery charge - CSU man resists a guilty verdict in bribery case
German Lawmaker Convicted in Azerbaijan Bribery Scandal
Former CSU Bundestag member Eduard Lintner was convicted in 2025 for accepting bribes in the Azerbaijan affair, marking the first time a German lawmaker was found guilty of bribing public officials on behalf of Azerbaijan. The trial took place in the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe.
Lintner, who served as a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe until 2010, was sentenced to a nine-month suspended prison term for channeling payments to other politicians to sway votes in favor of Azerbaijan at PACE. The first payments from Azerbaijan to the CDU politician flowed via a Lintner company.
During the trial, Lintner admitted to forwarding Azerbaijan money to a now-deceased CDU Bundestag member to influence decisions in Azerbaijan's favor. However, he defended his actions as "practically ubiquitous" lobbying. At the end of the trial, Lintner stated that he was not aware of any crime.
The defense pleaded for acquittal, but was unsuccessful. Lintner has since filed an appeal with the Federal Court of Justice in Karlsruhe. The prosecution has not lodged an appeal.
In 2014, Lintner allegedly arranged a monthly payment to another Bundestag member, Karin Strenz, to secure votes favoring Azerbaijan in PACE. Strenz’s heirs were ordered to return roughly €110,000 received from Lintner. Lintner denies criminal wrongdoing and has filed a revision against the sentence.
Axel Fischer, another former CDU Bundestag member, was initially involved in the trial but had his procedure separated due to illness. Fischer, like Lintner, initially denied the bribery allegations. The trial against Fischer was not filed by the prosecution but by him. The procedure against the two other co-defendants was provisionally suspended upon payment of a penalty.
The Azerbaijan affair involves a bribery and influence-peddling scandal linked to Azerbaijan’s authoritarian government using a large slush fund known as the "Azerbaijani Laundromat" to buy influence in Europe, particularly within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE). The scandal exposed Azerbaijan’s covert attempts to polish its international image amid criticism of its human rights record through corrupting European politicians.
The trial reports were provided by the German Press Agency. Lintner was no longer a member of the Council of Europe at the time of the sentence. The conviction of Lintner highlights the vulnerability of international parliamentary bodies like PACE to foreign interference through corrupt payments.
- Despite the European Community's policy-and-legislation on the free movement of workers and the freedom to provide services, the corruption case involving Eduard Lintner in the Azerbaijan affair suggests a breach of these principles within the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
- The conviction of former CSU Bundestag member Eduard Lintner for bribing public officials highlights the intersection of politics, general news, and crime-and-justice, underscoring the importance of maintaining transparency and accountability to prevent such scandals in the future.
