Jury selection hearing held in case against Senator Bob Menendez

This Monday, the first day to select the jury in the corruption case against Democratic Senator Bob Menendez took place in a court in New York, United States.

District Judge Sidney Stein read to several dozen potential jurors the charges against the politician, while warning them that the case could last between six and seven weeks and excusing those who argued that they could not participate.

Menendez, 70 years old, faces 16 criminal charges including bribery, fraud and acting as a foreign agent, and is being tried along with two businessmen from the state of New Jersey, in federal court in Manhattan.

The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, has also been charged but will be tried separately. The four defendants have pleaded not guilty.

Judge Stein excused more than three dozen potential jurors after he and attorneys for both sides spent more than three hours speaking privately with those who did not want to serve on the jury.

Menendez, New Jersey’s senior senator, was seen calmly in the courtroom during the proceedings, occasionally reading or speaking with one of his attorneys.

Prosecutors have accused the Menendezes of accepting cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible in exchange for the senator exerting political influence in New Jersey and helping the governments of Egypt and Qatar.

The senator supposedly promised to help the Cairo government close arms deals and some other military aid. He is also accused of allegedly helping defendant Wael Hana, an Egyptian-American businessman, obtain a lucrative monopoly over the certification of halal meat exports to Egypt.

Prosecutors also said Menendez attempted to help defendant Fred Daibes, a prominent New Jersey developer, obtain millions of dollars from a Qatari investment fund and sought to undo a federal criminal case against Daibes in New Jersey.

Much of the cash in the Menendezes’ possession was hidden in their home, among their clothes, prosecutors said.

This is Menendez’s third term as senator and he has announced that he will not seek re-election as a Democrat this November, although he has not ruled out running as an independent.

It is Menendez’s second corruption trial in the last decade. The previous court process ended when the jury was unable to reach a verdict in 2017.

[Con información de Reuters y AP]

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channelsYoutube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, x and instagram.