The city of Paphos in southwestern Cyprus has revoked its honorary title awarded to US Senator Robert Menendez following his recent conviction on multiple corruption charges.
"In yesterday's session chaired by Mayor Phaidon Faidonos, the city council unanimously decided to revoke the decision of the previous council on Dec. 22, 2020, to award the title of Honorary Citizen and the Golden Key of the City of Paphos to the president of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez," stated the Paphos City Council.
This decision, the council emphasised, supports the cultivation of a culture against corruption.
On July 16, a federal jury in New York found Menendez guilty on all 16 charges he faced in a corruption trial, including accepting bribes worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and acting as an unregistered foreign agent. During a 2022 search of Menendez's home, investigators found over $486,000 in cash, much of it hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe, along with several gold bars.
Prosecutors revealed that two of the one-kilogram and nine one-ounce gold bars recovered bore serial numbers linked to New Jersey businessman Fred Daibes, one of three businessmen Menendez allegedly accepted bribes from.
(Source: Cyprus Mail)