27 June 2016, 14:44
Italian politician accused of receiving bribes from Azerbaijani agents
In Italy, Luca Volonte, the former head of the European People's Party in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), is charged of receiving 2.39 million euros from the accounts of the company "Baktelecom" for the support of the Azerbaijani government officials. This was reported by the "Meydan TV" with reference to the newspaper "Corriere della Sera".
The Milan Prosecutor's Office has charged the well-known politician of corruption and money laundering of proceeds of crime.
Luca Volonte was four times elected a member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Italian Parliament (for the last time in 2008). In the period from January 2010 to June 2013, he used to be the leader of the European People's Party in the PACE.
According to investigators, in the period from 2012 to 2014, Luca Volonte got the money from the accounts of the telecommunications company "Baktelecom". In its documents, the Prosecutor's Office states that "during the meetings in Azerbaijan and Strasbourg, Luca Volonte promised to support the policy of the foreign state for money."
This is not the first time in 2016, when top-ranking officials of Azerbaijan are mentioned in connection with the international financial scandals. The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in April, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalism (ICIJ) released a report on offshore companies owned by well-known politicians. According to the above report, family members of the President of Azerbaijan own secret offshore accounts and shares in gold mining companies.
Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.
