Labour MP charged over expenses
- Press Association, Wednesday May 19 2010
An MP accused of dishonestly claiming more than £20,000 in expenses has been charged with false accounting and suspended from the Labour Party.
Eric Illsley, who represents Barnsley Central, is accused of making false claims over three years for expenses on his second home in London.
He is the fifth politician to face criminal charges after the expenses scandal last year, and will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 17.
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said: "Having thoroughly reviewed a file of evidence we received from the Metropolitan Police on March 30 this year, we concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to bring criminal charges against Eric Illsley MP.
"Mr Illsley faces three charges under section 17 of the Theft Act 1968 for false accounting."
It is alleged that Mr Illsley dishonestly claimed expenses for council tax, maintenance, insurance and utilities at his second home in Renfrew Road, Kennington, south London, between May 2005 and April 2008.
There was no answer at the front door at Mr Illsley's home in a quiet street in Barnsley Wednesday afternoon, and no sign of him at his Labour Party office in the centre of the town.
Three former Labour MPs and a suspended Tory peer have already been charged over their expense claims, including Tory Peer Lord Hanningfield, who is accused of making false claims for travel allowances.
David Chaytor, 60, of Todmorden, Lancashire, is accused of falsely claiming rent on a London flat he owned, falsely filing invoices for IT work and renting a property from his mother, against regulations. Elliot Morley, 57, of Winterton, North Lincolnshire, allegedly falsely claimed £30,428 in interest payments between 2004 and 2007 towards a mortgage on his home which he had already paid off.
Jim Devine, 56, of Bathgate, West Lothian, is said to have wrongly submitted two invoices worth a total of £5,505 for services provided by Armstrong Printing Limited and also faced a second charge alleging that he dishonestly claimed cleaning and maintenance costs of £3,240 by submitting false invoices from Tom O'Donnell Hygiene and Cleaning Services.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved.
Eric Illsley, who represents Barnsley Central, is accused of making false claims over three years for expenses on his second home in London.
He is the fifth politician to face criminal charges after the expenses scandal last year, and will appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on June 17.
Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said: "Having thoroughly reviewed a file of evidence we received from the Metropolitan Police on March 30 this year, we concluded that there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to bring criminal charges against Eric Illsley MP.
"Mr Illsley faces three charges under section 17 of the Theft Act 1968 for false accounting."
It is alleged that Mr Illsley dishonestly claimed expenses for council tax, maintenance, insurance and utilities at his second home in Renfrew Road, Kennington, south London, between May 2005 and April 2008.
There was no answer at the front door at Mr Illsley's home in a quiet street in Barnsley Wednesday afternoon, and no sign of him at his Labour Party office in the centre of the town.
Three former Labour MPs and a suspended Tory peer have already been charged over their expense claims, including Tory Peer Lord Hanningfield, who is accused of making false claims for travel allowances.
David Chaytor, 60, of Todmorden, Lancashire, is accused of falsely claiming rent on a London flat he owned, falsely filing invoices for IT work and renting a property from his mother, against regulations. Elliot Morley, 57, of Winterton, North Lincolnshire, allegedly falsely claimed £30,428 in interest payments between 2004 and 2007 towards a mortgage on his home which he had already paid off.
Jim Devine, 56, of Bathgate, West Lothian, is said to have wrongly submitted two invoices worth a total of £5,505 for services provided by Armstrong Printing Limited and also faced a second charge alleging that he dishonestly claimed cleaning and maintenance costs of £3,240 by submitting false invoices from Tom O'Donnell Hygiene and Cleaning Services.
Copyright (c) Press Association Ltd. 2010, All Rights Reserved.
- guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media Limited 2010
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