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Karin Strenz, a Christian Democrat member of the German parliament, who was accused of doing paid lobbying work for the Azerbaijani dictatorship, has commented on the accusations she is facing.

In a nine-page statement, the lawmaker has touched upon her ties with Azerbaijan, noting she has not received bribes and has not lied. However, as reported by Ostsee-Zeitung, she has partly responded to the questions, with the critics refusing to consider the MP’s statements credible.

Ahead of the recent German elections, it was revealed that Karin Strenz had worked for an Azerbaijan-financed lobbying firm owned by Eduard Lintner, a former German MP and lobbyist for Azerbaijan, receiving a total of €30,000. Strenz has reportedly had close ties with Azerbaijan, but she denies all the allegations without giving explanations.

On Monday, Karin Strenz, who was also a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), submitted an explanation to the Council of Europe, claiming ‘accusations against her are not balanced’. Denying the accusation on lying and receiving bribes, she however admitted to have worked for Line M-Trade company set up by Eduard Lintner, receiving a monthly payment of €7497, which totalled to €22 491 for three months. However, she claimed she was not aware the company was financed by Azerbaijan. According to the contract, the company provided ‘consultations on legal, European, international and economic issues’ to its clients.

The German lawmaker attached a list of her meetings with representatives of different states to her explanation to the CoE in an attempt to show she is not a lobbyist for Azerbaijan and has actively worked on not only Azerbaijani but also Armenian and Georgian matters.

Karin Strenz no longer receives support from her own Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The parliament group in Bundestag also tries to stay away from this scandal, with Secretary General Wolfgang Waldmüller finding it hard to make any comments.