The ethics committee of the House of Representatives did not reveal violations in the actions of the US lawmakers who have committed to a visit to Baku financed by the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan (SOCAR) in May 2013. As announced by the Committee, the Congressmen were allowed to go to the shore of the Caspian Sea, and did not know that the costs would be paid by the local authorities.
"When a member of the House of Representatives receives in advance written approval for a gift (a foreign trip can be considered as a gift), it further protects it against any action by the Committee," Tass cites a message of the Committee in the report.
As a result of a three-month investigation, a survey study of 12 people and nearly 200 pages of documents the Committee came to the conclusion that the 10 US legislators – six Democrats and four Republicans – were misled.
