US prosecutors have accused New Jersey senator Robert Menendez of being involved in bribery, with one of his alleged victims being the meat-consuming population of Egypt.
The senator, who has vehemently denied the allegations and refused to resign. He stands accused of participating in an influence-peddling scheme along with his wife, Nadine, and three businessmen, including Wael Hana, an Egyptian immigrant to the US.
According to the prosecutors, Menendez allegedly used his position in Washington to assist Hana and the Egyptian government in matters related to arms sales. However, one of the most shocking accusations is that Menendez helped Hana establish a monopoly over halal meat imports into Egypt, demonstrating the exploitation of US power by corrupt officials worldwide.
The religious requirements that paid for Hana’s alleged bribes
Egypt, being a Muslim-majority country, mandates that imported meat must be certified as compliant with Islamic dietary rules. Initially, the government authorized several companies to audit and certify meat producers accordingly.
However, in 2019, Egypt granted a monopoly to IS EG Halal, an American company operated by Hana, as the sole certifier of all meat imported from the US and later from South America as well. With control over the major sources of Egyptian meat imports, IS EG promptly increased prices. An investigation by Egyptian news outlet Mada Masr uncovered that “certification fees for one container (27 metric tons) jumped from US$200 to over $5,000 in the US, and from $250 to $1,500 in South America.”
Shortly after the monopoly was approved, Nadine Menendez texted her husband, “[s]eems like halal went through. It might be a fantastic 2019 all the way around.” In a Wall Street Journal story about the investigation, it was mentioned that Nadine had a close relationship with Antranig Aslanian, a lawyer associated with IS EG.
The monopoly generated backlash from US and South American meat exporters, who blamed it for the rising prices. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) even voiced its concerns to Egyptian officials and publicly criticized the monopoly
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