Former aide to New York City mayor cooperating with federal authorities in corruption probe

A former aide to Eric Adams is assisting federal authorities in an investigation into corruption allegations against the New York City mayor, according to a report.

Rana Abbasova served as Mr Adams’ long-time liaison with the Turkish community, as well as acting as the director of protocol for the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs.

Scrutiny of the mayor began last November when the Brooklyn home of his top fundraiser, Brianna Suggs, was raided by FBI agents. They were reportedly looking for evidence that his 2021 mayoral campaign had conspired with the Turkish government to receive illegal donations.

Ms Abbasova’s cooperation was first reported on Monday by The New York Times, which cited three sources close to the matter, marking the latest development in the investigation.

The outlet noted that it was not clear what information Ms Abbasova had provided to the federal authorities but that she has been involved in or has had knowledge of some of the mayor’s dealings with Turkish government officials and businessmen, per emails.

She also helped coordinate events and meetings with members of the Turkish community in New York and abroad and arranged some of his travel, accompanying him on two official trips to Turkey, records cited by The Times have shown.

Ms Abbasova, who worked for Mr Adams for around four years before he became mayor, has not been accused of wrongdoing.

A spokesperson for Ms Abbasova declined to comment on the matter when contacted by The Independent.

The Independent has also attempted to contact the FBI and US District Attorney’s office by telephone.

Following the raid on Ms Suggs’ residence on November 2 2023, Mr Adams cancelled meetings in Washington DC and returned to New York to deal with “a