John Ashe former UN General Assembly president accused of taking $1.3 million in bribes dead at age 61

John Ashe, former United Nations General Assembly president, who was accused by U.S. prosecutors of taking $1.3 million in bribes from Chinese businessmen NG Lapseng, has died at age 61, his lawyer Jeremy Schneider said on Wednesday. He was arrested in October 2015 on federal charges.
 
The sudden death of John Ashe, the former U.N. ambassador from Antigua & Barbuda comes as a surprise to many. He served as UN General Assembly president from 2013 to 2014.
 
Ashe’s death marked a surprising turn in the corruption investigation, in which seven (7) people have been charged to date. He had been in plea talks as recently as last month, as prosecutors considered further charges.
 
President of the 193-member General Assembly Mogens Lykketoft said Ashe reportedly died of a heart attack.