U.S. Senator Bob Menendez found guilty in corruption case

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United States Senator Bob Menendez, who has been pushing for sanctions against Uganda, was on Tuesday found guilty on all charges relating to corruption and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

The jury in the federal corruption trial of Senator Menendez, D-N.J., and two of his business associates, Fred Daibes and Wael Hana, found Menendez guilty on all charges after a gruelling nine-week complex trial in Manhattan.

The jury convicted Menendez of 16 federal charges including bribery, fraud, acting as a foreign agent and obstruction after more than 12 hours of deliberation over three days.

Prosecutors said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) discovered gold bars and over 400,000 U.S. dollars in cash hidden in various locations such as jackets and shoes within his residence.

Prosecutors alleged that in return for the bribes, Menendez assisted in securing millions of dollars in U.S. aid for Egypt.

Two businessmen are facing trial for allegedly seeking the senator's assistance illegally to benefit the Egyptian government and secure millions of dollars from a Qatari investment fund. A third businessman pleaded guilty.

"This wasn't politics as usual; this was politics for profit," U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, whose office prosecuted the case, said in a statement, citing "shocking levels of corruption."

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the upper chamber, immediately called on Menendez to resign from the Senate after the conviction.

"In light of this guilty verdict, Sen. Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," Schumer said in a statement.

In September 2023, Menendez willingly decided to step down from his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee after prosecutors revealed the charges against him.

Menendez's conviction came as one of the piling up scandals in Congress. In December 2023, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to expel New York Republican George Santos from Congress over the lies, scandals and alleged campaign finance crimes. 

Menendez pleaded not guilty to federal charges that he accepted an array of bribes in exchange for helping foreign governments. Jurors deliberated for three days. The conviction on all 16 counts against him exposes Menendez to a sentence of more than 200 years in prison, though such a heavy sentence is unlikely.

The judge scheduled the senator's sentencing date for October 29, 2026

Resignation calls

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer responded to the verdict by calling on Menendez to resign.

"In light of this guilty verdict, Senator Menendez must now do what is right for his constituents, the Senate, and our country, and resign," Schumer said.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy echoed Schumer's call in his own statement.

"Senator Menendez received a fair trial and due process of law as he was entitled to under our Constitution. I want to thank all the public servants who play crucial roles in our criminal justice system, including our law enforcement officials, prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors, and judges. Their hard work ensured that these brazen crimes were proven beyond a reasonable doubt, and our nation is grateful for their service," Murphy said.

Menendez stand on Uganda

In 2018 Menendez publicly called for the immediate release of the Robert Kyagulanyi leaders of National Unity Party (NUP) who had been arrested in 2018 on treason charges.

In 2022, Menendez petitioned President Joe Biden to take actions against human rights abuses in Uganda, including torture and corruption and called for the imposition of sanctions on senior Ugandan officials involved in corruption or gross human rights violations.

Claiming torture of suspects, he also demanded for what he termed as transparency regarding holding facilities.

Menendez also blamed government security agencies of torture, injuring and shooting dead unarmed people during Kasese and Kampala riots in 2016 and 2020 respectfully