The Egyptian national accused of bribing Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) pleaded not guilty to the offense.
New Jersey businessman Wael Hana, 40, pleaded not guilty to two charges of bribing Menendez and his wife, Nadine Menendez, during a hearing in front of Manhattan Magistrate Judge Ona Wang. Hana is one of three New Jersey businessmen charged with bribing Menendez. The other two are slated to be arraigned Wednesday, the same day as Menendez and his wife.
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Hana was in Egypt at the time of his indictment and had voluntarily flown to the United States to face the charges. He was arrested at JFK Airport.
Hana is accused of being the central figure in the Menendez corruption scheme, orchestrating meetings between the senator and Egyptian military and intelligence officials. Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is accused of using his position to give confidential information to the Egyptian government and increase foreign aid in exchange for bribes.
Hana was released on a $5 million bond on Tuesday. He must remain in the United States, surrender his passport, and wear a GPS monitoring device.
Menendez has stepped down from his position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, but he has refused to resign and claimed innocence.
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“Those who believe in justice believe in innocence until proven guilty. I intend to continue to fight for the people of New Jersey with the same success I’ve had for the past five decades,” he said in a statement Friday.
“This is the same record of success these very same leaders have lauded all along. It is not lost on me how quickly some are rushing to judge a Latino and push him out of his seat. I am not going anywhere,” he added.
