Bob Menendez was found guilty on several corruption-related charges

New Jersey Democratic Senator Bob Menendez was found guilty of all public corruption charges he faced, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asked him to resign.

According to The Hill, Menendez says he is “deeply” disappointed by the jury’s decision and claimed: “We will succeed if we appeal.” 

The New York jury found Menendez guilty of 16 counts of bribery, extortion and fraud. According to legal experts, he is expected to appeal the court order. If the protest is not accepted, he will be sentenced on October 29 and face several decades in prison.

The prosecutors say that 3 businessmen paid bribes to Menendez and his wife so that in return he would take actions in favor of the government of Egypt and Qatar. According to them, this bribe included gold bars, a Mercedes Benz and more than $480,000 in cash.

Menendez, a former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, maintained his innocence during the trial, and his lawyers argued that the gifts he accepted did not qualify as bribery because prosecutors could not prove he took any specific action as a result. Receive them done.

Translator: Zahra Najafi