Opening statements get beneath means in Bob ‘Gold Bar’ Menendez’s bribery trial

The corruption and bribery trial of embattled New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez formally received beneath on Wednesday afternoon with opening statements within the case.

After two sluggish days of jury choice, 12 New York residents had been lastly sworn in that morning to listen to a case involving a sitting US lawmaker, wads of money and gold bars, Egyptian authorities officers and a halal meat start-up.

Mr Menendez, 70, and his co-defendants – his spouse Nadine Menendez and three New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana, Fred Daibes and Jose Uribe – had been indicted final September on prison fees associated to an alleged years-long bribery scheme.

Within the subsequent months, prosecutors unveiled extra fees in two superseding indictments. One included fees associated to bribery to profit officers in Qatar. The opposite added obstruction of justice fees after Mr Uribe took a plea take care of prosecutors.

Mr Menendez now faces 16 felony fees, together with bribery, performing as a international agent, obstruction of justice and extortion.

He has pleaded responsible to the fees and denies all wrongdoings.

Prosecutors started opening statements on Wednesday afternoon inside Daniels Patrick Moynihan federal courtroom in downtown Manhattan, laying out the allegations that the senator accepted lavish bribes together with gold bars, money, funds for a Mercedes-Benz convertible and extra from the New Jersey businessmen in change for utilizing his political affect for favors. These favors in the end benefitted the federal government of Egypt in addition to officers in Qatar, prosecutors say.

Only a few toes away, Mr Menendez sat along with his attorneys and co-defendants Mr Hana and Mr Daibes, and their attorneys.

That morning, 12 jurors and 6 alternates had been sworn in earlier than Choose Sidney Stein, after wittling down greater than 150 potential panelists with questions on their careers, dwelling lives, information urge for food and extra.

Potential jurors had been additionally requested in the event that they knew any of the defendants, attorneys or attainable witnesses.

That record of attainable witnesses features a string of political figures together with Senators Marsha Blackburn, Cory Booker, Lindsey Graham, Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Krysten Sinema, former Obama administration staffer David Axelrod, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, high-profile lawyer Abbe Lowell and extra.

A number of jurors requested to be excused on the primary and second days, citing nonrefundable journey plans and considerations over the high-profile nature of the case.

Choose Stein has indicated that the trial may final six to seven weeks. His spouse Ms Menendez will probably be tried in a separate trial probably starting this summer time.