German MP Resigns Amid Azerbaijan Bribery Allegations

German Bundestag member Mark Hauptmann has resigned from his mandate in connection with allegations of taking bribes from Azerbaijan, conducting lobbying activities for them, and promoting the country in his newspaper. This was reported by 'Deutsche Welle', as conveyed by 'Armenpress'.

Hauptmann is a member of German Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative party and is the third German parliamentarian to resign in the past week. The other two, Nikolaus Löbel and Georg Nüßlein, have been involved in a 'mask scandal' regarding their involvement in the mask business during the pandemic.

Mark Hauptmann has denied the allegations of receiving money from Azerbaijan. "I have never received any money and there has never been any pressure on my political activities," he stated.

On March 5, the Bundestag of the Federal Republic of Germany deprived MP Axel Fischer of immunity to allow investigators to conduct searches and collect evidence regarding the criminal case of bribery involving Azerbaijani authorities. Current and former Bundestag members are accused of taking bribes from Azerbaijan and conducting lobbying missions on behalf of the country in international organizations, as part of the German delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.