Trial for alleged corruption against Bob Menéndez will be in May 2024

October 3, 2023

The judge asks the defense of the Democratic senator to deliver exculpatory evidence by December 4.

The trial against American politician of Cuban origin Bob Menéndez, accused of accepting bribes, was set for May 6, 2024, reported EFE.

The date was set during a hearing in federal court for the southern district of New York in Manhattan, on October 2. The Democratic senator from the state of New Jersey did not attend, because he had to attend matters related to his position in Washington, according to an explanation his defense gave to the judge in charge of the case, Sidney Stein.

Following the accusation, Menéndez resigned from the presidency of the Committee on Foreign Relations, but not from his Senate seat.

At Monday's hearing, the politician's wife, Nadine, was present, also accused of corruption and accepting bribes.

Judge Stein asked the politician's defense to deliver exculpatory evidence by December 4.

On September 27, Menéndez declared himself innocent of federal charges of accepting bribes and paid a bond of 100,000 dollars. He also agreed to surrender his personal passport, although he kept his official one. His wife paid a bond of 250,000 dollars.

Five days earlier, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the southern district of New York had accused the Democratic senator and his wife of having accepted thousands of dollars in bribes for using their political influence to "protect and enrich businessmen and benefit the Government of Egypt."

According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Menéndez provided sensitive information to Egypt, including military information, and pressured several high-ranking officials from the Department of Agriculture to make decisions that would have benefited the monopoly granted by the Egyptian Government to businessman Wael Hana.

The politician is also accused of attempting to influence the justice system of New Jersey to abandon separate criminal investigations against businessmen José Uribe and Fred Daibes.

The bribes that the couple allegedly received date back to 2018 and lasted until 2022.

At Menéndez and his wife's home in New Jersey, investigators found about 550,000 dollars in cash hidden among clothing, safe deposit boxes and envelopes, as well as gold ingots valued at more than 150,000 dollars and a luxury car supposedly donated by one of the businessmen.

The three businessmen who allegedly bribed the senator are also charged in the case.

Although the Democratic senator maintains his innocence and has shown confidence that he will be exonerated, several figures from his party have expressed the opinion that he should leave his Senate seat.

This is how the governor of New Jersey, Phil Murphy; the senator from Illinois Dick Durbin; and Senator Cory Booker have expressed themselves.