A federal judge has refused to dismiss bribery charges against Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.).

Jefferson is accused of orchestrating a complicated, and multi-layered scheme to receive bribes from companies seeking business in Western Africa. Proving bribery against a lawmaker is difficult because prosecutors must show that the defendant provided an “official act” such as a voting a certain way or sponsoring legislation in return for money or items he received. His lawyers argued that Jefferson didn’t do anything in his capacity as a congressman that could be considered a bribe.

He said it is up to the jury to decide whether Jefferson’s promotion or advocacy of certain business projects to the politicians in the African countries and the travel associated with that are related to his duties as a congressman.

In his denial, Judge Ellis declared that the question of whether or not the government is able to prove its bribery case “is a question properly addressed at trial, not on a motion to dismiss an indictment.”

Jefferson’s trial has been postponed indefinitely while an appeals court considers his legal team’s appeal of an earlier ruling on a different pre-trial motion. In that motion, hi s lawyers argued that prosecutors obtained the indictment by unconstitutionally infringing on his privileges as a congressman.