NEW YORK, May 13 (Reuters) - Jury selection began in the corruption trial of U.S. Senator Robert Menendez on Monday, with a judge excusing dozens of prospective jurors in a case that could affect the Democrat's political future and the makeup of the U.S. Senate.
Menendez, who is New Jersey’s senior senator, faces 16 criminal charges including bribery, fraud, obstruction, and acting as a foreign agent.
He is being tried alongside New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes in Manhattan federal court. The senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez, has also been charged but will be tried separately. All four defendants have pleaded not guilty.
The legal proceedings in this case have garnered significant attention, with the involvement of Senator Menendez, the New Jersey businessmen Wael Hana and Fred Daibes, and the senator’s wife, Nadine Menendez. The trial, held in Manhattan federal court, has raised public interest due to the high-profile nature of the individuals involved. As the legal process unfolds, the plea of not guilty entered by all four defendants sets the stage for a complex and closely watched trial.
U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein said the trial might continue until June. On Monday, he and the lawyers for both sides spent nearly five hours in a private meeting with potential jurors who were reluctant to serve.
Menendez, 70, sat quietly in the courtroom during this process, only occasionally reading or speaking with one of his lawyers. Jury selection will resume on Tuesday.
Prosecutors have accused the Menendezes of accepting hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash, gold bars and a Mercedes-Benz convertible, in exchange for the senator offering political favors and helping the governments of Egypt and Qatar.
The senator allegedly promised to help Egypt obtain arms sales and other military aid, and helped Hana, an Egyptian American, obtain a lucrative monopoly on the certification of halal meat exports to Egypt.
Prosecutors also said Menendez tried to help defendant Daibes, a prominent New Jersey developer, obtain millions of dollars from a Qatari investment fund, and disrupt a federal criminal case against Daibes in New Jersey.
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