Menendez corruption trial in US starts late.

Jury selection is underway for Democratic New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez’s federal corruption trial, which is expected to continue through the end of June in a Manhattan courtroom. As of now, no jurors have been seated for the trial, with 38 out of 152 jurors being excused as of Monday afternoon for various reasons. This leaves 114 jurors who will return today for further selection.

The jurors will have the task of determining whether the evidence presented against Menendez and two New Jersey businessmen, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, supports the allegation of their involvement in a bribery scheme. This scheme allegedly included actions such as interference in criminal investigations and undertaking activities that favored the governments of Egypt and Qatar. All three defendants have entered pleas of not guilty, while co-defendant Jose Uribe has pleaded guilty and is set to testify against the other defendants. The trial for Menendez’s wife, who is also facing charges, has been postponed until at least July due to health reasons.

Notably, this is not the first time Menendez has found himself in the midst of a federal corruption case, marking the second instance in a decade. The senator was initially charged with obstruction of justice by federal prosecutors in connection to an alleged bribery scheme involving the governments of Egypt and Qatar. This new indictment, unveiled in March, builds upon the existing charges faced by Menendez and his co-defendants, including his wife, for purportedly acting as a foreign agent and receiving substantial bribes aimed at benefiting the Egyptian government through his influence as a senator.

The latest 18-page indictment emerged following Uribe’s acceptance of a plea agreement and willingness to cooperate with authorities. The charges lodged against Menendez on Tuesday encompass a range of offenses, spanning conspiracy, bribery, acting as a foreign agent, extortion, and wire fraud.

Moreover, the indictment claims that Menendez proactively directed his legal team to inform the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York in 2022 about the payments made by businessman Wael Hana, exceeding $23,000 for his wife’s home mortgage, and the contribution provided by Uribe for a luxury vehicle. Subsequently, prosecutors allege that Menendez instructed his attorneys to disclose that the funds were actually loans, when in reality they were deemed as bribe payments.

Additionally, Menendez is accused of accepting bribes and gifts in exchange for leveraging his position to benefit Qatar as part of a corruption scheme spanning from 2021 to 2023. The initial charges in the bribery scheme were brought against Menendez, along with his wife and the three New Jersey businessmen, on September 23. While Hana, Daibes, the senator, and Nadine Menendez have all pleaded not guilty, the trial continues to unfold with the meticulous selection of jurors and the looming presence of significant legal allegations.