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Albuquerque City Councilor Lan Sena on Thursday issued a public statement accusing former State Rep. Abbas Akhil of abusing his position of power by making unwanted sexual advances when she served on his campaign staff in the summer of 2019.
In documents obtained independently, Councilor Sena said Akhil “must be held accountable for his actions,” Sena said in the open letter she released to media through an attorney, noting that the State Ethics Commission did not consider her complaint since the incident had occurred before it had jurisdiction.
Within the documents provided, Akhil signed an agreement stating “the incident that did occur on May 16, 2019, as described by Lan Sena, are factual and indeed did occur.” The document shows that he also agreed to take sexual harassment classes and training.
According to the Albuquerque Journal, Akhil’s attorney on Thursday called the allegations “false,” and said he would present a defense “at the appropriate time and in the appropriate manner.” Akhil announced his decision not to run for a second term in October of 2019, stating that he needed to “focus on his family.” He served as the representative of District 20, which includes the Four Hills.