On July 30, the Munich Higher Regional Court handed down a nine-month suspended sentence to Eduard Lintner, a former Bundestag member, for his role in a high-profile bribery scandal known as the “Azerbaijan affair.”
Lintner, a veteran politician and former state secretary, was found guilty of channeling Azerbaijani funds to bribe other officials in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), with the aim of swaying votes in favor of Baku. According to prosecutors, Lintner received nearly €4 million through intermediary companies with ties to Azerbaijan between 2008 and 2016.
While Lintner’s sentence was suspended, the conviction adds to a growing list of European officials caught up in the affair. The scandal previously implicated the late Karin Strenz, a Bundestag member who had been an outspoken supporter of Azerbaijan and voted against a PACE report on political prisoners in the country. Strenz died unexpectedly in 2021.
The case has reignited scrutiny over Azerbaijan’s alleged strategy of “caviar diplomacy” — using gifts, favors, and financial incentives to buy influence across Europe.
By FCCT Editorial Team
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