Ex-MPs to argue expenses decision at Supreme Court Skip to main content

Ex-MPs to argue expenses decision at Supreme Court

The Supreme Court is to decide whether three former Labour MPs are immune from prosecution for allegedly abusing their Parliamentary expenses.
David Chaytor, Jim Devine and Elliott Morley argue they are protected by Parliamentary privilege.
The three former MPs deny charges of false accounting.
But they claim that because the expenses system is run by Parliament it should be for Parliament alone to investigate any alleged wrongdoing.
Lord Judge, the Lord Chief Justice, has refused permission to take the case to the Supreme Court in the wake of the Court of Appeal's decision, in July, that they are not protected from prosecution by Parliamentary privilege.
But Lord Judge said that because the matter involves an important point of law it should be up to the Supreme Court to decide whether to hear their argument.

He said the three could pose a question to the Supreme Court judges, allowing the former MPs to make a direct application for a final hearing into the case.
There will now be a hearing before a panel of nine judges next month, on 18 or 19 October.
Lord Judge refused the MPs, who were not in court, legal aid for representation by separate lawyers. They were allowed one leading and junior counsel and one firm of solicitors.
The charges against the men followed a nine-month police investigation triggered after details of all MPs' expenses claims were leaked to a national newspaper.
Mr Morley, the former MP for Scunthorpe, Mr Chaytor, formerly MP for Bury North and ex-Livingston MP Mr Devine were barred from standing at the general election after the allegations surfaced.
They are all on unconditional bail and due to face separate trials at Southwark Crown Court in London.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of seven years' imprisonment.
The Court of Appeal also ruled against Lord Hanningfield on the question of privilege but the former Conservative peer, who denies the charges, is not pursuing a Supreme Court challenge.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11295283
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera

The Life Story of A Distinguished And Outstanding Bhikkhu The Most Venerable Saradawpharagree Sri Bhaddanta Chandramani Mahathera The Buddhist missionary Saradaw Ashin U Chandramani was endowed with great gifts and led a famous and long life. He was a very well known, distinguished and outstanding Bhikkhu Mahathera. While living in the Kushinagar Monastery, a place close to where the Lord Buddha had passed away to Nirvana, the Government of India had offered, and he had accepted, the highest, most honourable and respected title "Guru Guru MahaGuru". He became the first ever President of all Buddhists in India.A World Buddhist Conference took place in Kathmandu during the reign of King Mahindra of Nepal. The Conference was very well attended by over one hundred thousand Buddhists from various parts of the world and it was opened by King Mahindra himself. As requested by the King, Saradawpharagree blessed all the participants with the power of Triple Gems...
Post a Comment
Read more

Yangon’s Hero, Wielding Power of Stop and Go

By THOMAS FULLER NOV. 21, 2014 Sgt. Khin Myint Maung directing cars in Myanmar’s largest city, where his accolades are also an indictment of others’ corruption. Credit Tomas Munita for The New York Times YANGON, Myanmar — For 12 hours nearly every day, Sgt. Khin Myint Maung stands in one of the most chaotic intersections in this chronically gridlocked city, untangling traffic snarls with patience and unflagging good humor. It is not the most likely résumé for a recipient of a hero of the year award from a leading daily newspaper, or designation as a “role model” officer by the Yangon police force or a “real-life hero” by a German foundation. But the 26-year-old from the provinces, only recently promoted to sergeant, has earned all those awards, rising to fame purely by word of mouth. It is nearly impossible to find a taxi driver in Yangon who does n...
Post a Comment
Read more

Three Dead, Seven Injured by Artillery Shells in Two Incidents in Myanmar’s Mrauk-U

By MIN AUNG KHINE 2 December 2019 Sittwe, Rakhine State –Three Mrauk-U township residents died and four others were injured when an artillery shell struck their community in the Ale Zay quarter of Mrauk-U town on Monday afternoon after 4 p.m. A month-old girl, a 4-year-old boy and a 30-year-old woman died, according to Dr. Khin Maung Yin, the head of Mrauk-U hospital. He said, “A man and three other women were injured. One of the women sustained severe injures to her left leg and her right knee was dislocated. The injured will be operated on.” Details of what occurred were not yet known. A few hours earlier, three civilians were injured when an artillery shell fell on the village of Na Leik in Mrauk-U Township, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, on Monday at around 1 p.m., according to Yan Aung Pyin village-tract administrator U Sein Hla Aung. Two females, aged 13 and 27, and an 18-year-old male were injured in the incident, he said. Three people were hit by shrapnel and we have...
Post a Comment
Read more