So, Lord Hanningfield, until recently the most powerful politician in our county, has been found guilty on 6 counts of false accounting. He will be sentenced later.
As the BBC website explains:
The former Tory peer and Essex Council leader Lord Hanningfield has been found guilty of fiddling his expenses.
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Paul White, 70, had denied six counts of false accounting relating to nearly ?14,000 of parliamentary expenses.
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The prosecution said he had claimed for overnight stays in London between March 2006 and April 2009, when he had actually returned home to Essex.
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As he left court, White said he might appeal adding: “I’m devastated but I have no regrets. I did nothing wrong.”
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The jury at Chelmsford Crown Court found him guilty on all six counts and he will be sentenced in three weeks’ time.
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In a separate development, police have launched an investigation into an allegation Lord Hanningfield made fraudulent expenses claims of Essex County Council.
Full BBC report is here with a profile of him here.
He has been a councillor for over 40 years.
As the legal process is not yet over, comments are not enabled.