NEWARK -- Two of three women identified as girlfriends of U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez's co-defendant testified Tuesday about how they obtained tourist visas to get to the U.S. and whether the senator influenced the process.

Svitlana Buchyk, who expressed irritation at having to testify, denied the New Jersey Democrat's assistance had played a role in securing her tourist visa.

"Nothing has to do with the senator," Buchyk said. "Nothing."

Buchyk said she met Menendez at a restaurant in Miami with Salomon Melgen, the senator's co-defendant, after she was awarded a tourist visa. Melgen, an ophthalmologist she described as a family friend, introduced Menendez "in a joking manner" as the person who helped her get the visa, she said.

Buchyk testified she first met Melgen in Spain "a long time ago." She told government prosecutor Peter Koski the doctor referred to Menendez as "his hermano, his brother."

"Before I knew he was senator, I knew he was best friend," she said, speaking of Menendez.

Under cross examination by Kirk Ogrosky, one of Melgen's defense attorneys, Buchyk said she did not want to testify.

"I don't know why I'm here. He's just forcing me to be here," she said, referring to Koski, the government's lead prosecutor on the case. Buchyk, who said she speaks six languages, complained to U.S. District Judge William H. Walls that in 18 to 20 hours of preparing her testimony with prosecutors, they spoke to her only in English.

"I am scared of saying things to them," she said. Under questioning by Koski, she subsequently admitted she had been offered an interpreter for previous interviews.

Earlier testimony by Mark Lopes, the senator's former senior policy advisor, focused on the senator's assistance in getting Rosiell Polanco and her sister, as well as Buchyk and another woman, to the U.S, on Melgen's behalf.

Prosecutors have alleged Menendez's help with the visa applications was part of a series of favors he performed for Melgen in exchange for private plane flights, luxury hotel stays and $750,000 in financial contributions.

Menendez's lawyers have not denied his office offered support for the women's visa applications, but have denied there was anything illegal about the actions he and his staffers undertook, pointing to others he helped gain entrance to the country in unrelated cases.

While testifying Monday and earlier Tuesday, Lopes, the former staffer, told the jury there was nothing "nefarious" about his work on behalf of the senator to help get the women visas.

On the stand Tuesday, Polanco testified that she and her sister Korall Polanco had initially applied for a visa in 2008 with the support of a letter from the senator to the consul general.

But when they first interviewed at the U.S. embassy, Polanco said, the woman who interviewed them didn't review their documentation, and denied their visas.

Polanco reached out to Melgen.

"He told me he was going to try to fix it," she said, adding that Melgen said he was going to talk to Menendez.

They were later called for a second interview, she testified, at a time when few other people were there. After going straight to the interview window, they were interviewed by a man -- "somebody who was very important," she said -- who took more time to review their applications, and ultimately granted them.

"So what you actually got the second time is a fair look at your application," defense attorney Jonathan Cogan asked. "Yes," Polanco said through an interpreter.

Both Polanco and Buchyk were interviewed by FBI agents and testified in front of a grand jury as part of the investigation, according to a motion filed by prosecutors to seal transcripts of the interviews and grand jury testimony.

The trial is continuing in federal court in Newark.

One of Dr. Melgen's girlfriends testified she got a visa to US. after #SenRobertMenendez intervened when 1st applic. was denied. — MaryAnn Spoto (@MaryAnnSpoto) September 12, 2017

Thomas Moriarty may be reached by email at tmoriarty@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @ThomasDMoriarty.

MaryAnn Spoto may be reached by email at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto.