News of countryթ§Չ-Չ§s $2.9bn lobbying and money-laundering scheme could herald shake-up at rights body
Parliamentarians at the Council of Europe have expressed թ§Չ-ժgreat concernթ§Չ-Թ at revelations in the Guardian and other media that detail how former members of the body were paid by Azerbaijan.
The revelations that former members of the Council of Europeթ§Չ-Չ§s parliamentary assembly (Pace) benefited from the oil-rich countryթ§Չ-Չ§s international lobbying fund promise to shake up a body that is meant to set Europeթ§Չ-Չ§s standards for democratic probity.
After details of leaked bank records emerged, members of Paceթ§Չ-Չ§s legal affairs committee inserted a last-minute amendment to a report on human rights in Azerbaijan, which had already been scheduled for debate on Tuesday. The new text urges the government of the president, Ilham Aliyev, to investigate the Laundromat schemes without delay.
թ§Չ-ժThe assembly notes with great concern reports linking the Azerbaijani government to a large money-laundering scheme,թ§Չ-Թ states the text, which was passed after sharp debates among deputies meeting in Paris on Tuesday. թ§Չ-ժThe assembly urges the Azerbaijani authorities to start an independent and impartial inquiry into these allegations without delay and, furthermore, cooperate fully with competent international authorities and bodies on this issue.թ§Չ-Թ
In an unprecedented move, a group of Pace deputies plan to issue a dissenting opinion because they think the original report թ§Չ-Չ drafted by a Belgian MP, Alain Destexhe թ§Չ-Չ skims over the problem of deep-seated corruption in the oil-rich country.
The details of the payments came as an independent panel began confidential hearings into alleged corruption at Pace in Strasbourg, one of the worldթ§Չ-Չ§s oldest human rights bodies.
The investigation into unethical practices was set up in July after Italian prosecutors accused Luca VolontթԹ—, an Italian former chair of the centre-right group in Pace, of accepting millions of euros in cash from Azerbaijan in exchange for supporting its government, which has been heavily criticised for subverting elections and jailing journalists and opponents.
Azerbaijan, a member of the Council of Europe since 2001, has been accused of թ§Չ-ժcaviar diplomacyթ§Չ-Թ, using cash and gifts to buy influence թ§Չ-Չ charges first detailed by the European Stability Initiative thinktank in 2012. The council notably voted down a critical report on Azerbaijanթ§Չ-Չ§s political prisoners in 2013.
Gerald Knaus, the ESIթ§Չ-Չ§s director, said it had taken years for the VolontթԹ— case to generate a reaction. թ§Չ-ժThe Pace code of conduct is more lax than that of Fifa,թ§Չ-Թ he told Le Monde, one of the team of newspapers that collaborated on the latest revelations about Azerbaijani money.
Bank documents show Azerbaijan funnelled about $2.9bn (թԹ։2.2bn) out of the country via a network of secret British companies to pay supporters, lobbyists and politicians in Europe, buy luxury goods and services, and launder money for the Azerbaijani elite.
Pieter Omtzigt, a Dutch centre-right MP who led calls for Pace to set up an investigation earlier this year, said the body was finally doing թ§Չ-ժserious and credibleթ§Չ-Թ work to clean up its act. But he said the VolontթԹ— case revealed a թ§Չ-ժsystemicթ§Չ-Թ problem within Pace, which was established after the second world war to safeguard democracy and human rights.
թ§Չ-ժIt clearly points to deficiencies within the whole assembly,թ§Չ-Թ he told the Guardian. թ§Չ-ժIn any normal parliament, if a foreign court decides that you have paid a member of parliament and that [person]թԹ is being investigated for corruption, some kind of procedure is staring you in the face.թ§Չ-Թ
Omtzigt said the parliamentary assembly had weak compliance in declaring gifts and hospitality, with only two items recorded in the gift register in 15 years.
The president of Pace, Pedro Agramunt, initially resisted calls to set up an inquiry, but lost that battle after his authority was weakened over an unrelated scandal.
The investigation, by a panel of three independent experts, will also look at թ§Չ-ժhidden practices that favour corruptionթ§Չ-Թ.
Andres Herkel, an MP from Estonia թ§Չ-Չ through which the Azerbaijani cash was routed թ§Չ-Չ said Paceթ§Չ-Չ§s credibility had been damaged by the allegations. թ§Չ-ժPersonally I never witnessed bribery in [the] strict and narrow sense. But I witnessed many strange interventions, opinions, voting,թ§Չ-Թ said Herkel, who was the bodyթ§Չ-Չ§s rapporteur on Azerbaijan from 2004-10.
թ§Չ-ժMany people were manipulated and now they start to understand what happened with their participation,թ§Չ-Թ he said. թ§Չ-ժI think the Azeri lobby was rather unique in having so many different contacts and capacity to mobilise their թ§Չ-խpolitical friendsթ§Չ-Չ§.թ§Չ-Թ
The investigation comes at a difficult time for Pace. Agramunt is expected to be voted out of the presidency in October, but continues to fight for his post. He says the case against him is թ§Չ-ժan entirely bizarre case and a regrettable spectacleթ§Չ-Թ.
He was criticised for his slow response to the corruption allegations, but his position only came under threat after it emerged he had met the Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad, on a Russian government trip, days before a deadly chemical attack on civilians in Idlib.
Tiny Kox, head of the Unified European Left Group, a socialist delegation at the parliament, insisted Agramuntթ§Չ-Չ§s future would not hamper the investigation.
թ§Չ-ժThe vast majority of this assembly has lost confidence in the president; that is the problem of the assembly and the problem of the president and that will come to an end in the next թ§Չ-Թ» session in October,թ§Չ-Թ Kox said.
Investigators needed time to do their work, he said. թ§Չ-ժWe now have the tools to find out what really has happened.թ§Չ-Թ
The assembly published a report on Tuesday detailing concerns about the թ§Չ-ժincreasing number of allegations of violations of certain human rights and fundamental freedomsթ§Չ-Թ in Azerbaijan. The report also raises concerns about allegations of executive control of the judiciary in the country.
The report, drafted by Destexhe, draws milder conclusions than similar bodies. While the Pace report notes that թ§Չ-ժreform of the judiciary is a work in progressթ§Չ-Թ, the councilթ§Չ-Չ§s human rights commissioner states that arrests are used to թ§Չ-ժsilence and punishթ§Չ-Թ opponents of the regime. A 2016 US state department report strikes a more robust tone, describing a թ§Չ-ժcrackdown on civil societyթ§Չ-Թ.
Destexheթ§Չ-Չ§s call to avoid criticising the Azerbaijani authorities թ§Չ-ժharshly and publiclyթ§Չ-Թ is likely to disappoint critics, who argue that some international observers have been weak in calling out human rights abuses.
VolontթԹ— acknowledges receiving money from Azerbaijan but insists it was for his foundation, and has vowed to fight the legal case against him.
թ§Չ-Թ§ This article was amended on 5 September 2017 to include the group that Tiny Kox leads.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/sep/05/azerbaijan-revelations-could-herald-shake-up-at-council-of-europe
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