Labour Expenses MPs Get Legal Aid

[bongo]

Three former Labour MPs facing criminal charges over their expenses have won the right to have their legal fees paid for by the taxpayer.

An HM Courts Service spokesman confirmed David Chaytor, Elliot Morley and Jim Devine will receive legal aid.

Tory peer Lord Hanningfield, who also faces charges, has not applied for legal aid. All four deny the charges.

Justice Secretary Jack Straw said ministers do not control legal aid and they qualified by a "matter of chance".

Conservative leader David Cameron said granting legal aid to the MPs was a "complete outrage" and promised to review the system.

Shadow schools secretary Michael Gove said the news was a "slap in the face for every decent taxpayer in this country".

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said: "People will be dismayed that on the last day of this rotten and corrupt Parliament, these MPs are using taxpayers money to try to get themselves out of these allegations."
The HM Courts Service spokesman said an application for legal aid for the three men was granted on Friday.

Mr Justice Saunders will hear their case during a two-day hearing at Southwark Crown Court from 27 May.
BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw said that officials applied the "interests of justice" test to determine whether the MPs should receive legal aid.

The test says that if a defendant is at risk of losing his or her liberty - that is, they could go to prison if convicted - then they are entitled to legal representation paid for by the state.

The "interests of justice" test began to be phased out in January to be replaced by a means test for all Crown Court cases in England and Wales - but Southwark Crown Court is not yet part of the new scheme, so it did not apply to the MPs.

However, if the MPs are convicted the trial judge could order them to pay back all or some of the costs of the case.

The MPs - who have instructed barristers to argue their cases - have all been suspended by the Labour Party, while Lord Hanningfield has been suspended by the Conservatives.

All four are accused of theft by false accounting and if found guilty, face a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.

Police began investigating after details of all MPs' expenses claims were leaked to the Daily Telegraph.

The men's lawyers have said that they intended to argue that they should be dealt with by Parliament rather than the courts because their actions were protected by parliamentary privilege.

Privilege traditionally guarantees MPs and peers immunity from slander laws for statements in parliamentary debates and also relates to access to parliamentary buildings.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politi...10/8616261.stm

[Arrr Jim Lad]

There is something deeply horribly wrong with the system to allow this.

[washingtonwallah]

Indeed, you could'nt make it up

[oothefuknellsleeds]

you would think, being election time, that they would be sensible and not try to piss people off by doing this. idiots

[DonkeyScabs]

Originally Posted by oothefuknellsleeds

you would think, being election time, that they would be sensible and not try to piss people off by doing this. idiots

Which just goes to show, that No. 1 is all they care about.

[Oscar Wilde]

Unfortunately they're entitled to it. Legal Aid is being reformed so that it will be means tested but those reforms have not yet been fully implemented so the MPs involved can still claim it legitimately. Incidentally, the Conservatives opposed the proposals for Legal Aid reform so I can only assume that they support the fact that these MPs are receiving taxpayers' money to fight their corner.

The people involved are no strangers to questionable moral attitudes but if Bongo is trying to use the Legal Aid situation as a stick to beat the Labour Party with then he would be better off staying well out of this area.

[PTR]

Originally Posted by DonkeyScabs

Which just goes to show, that No. 1 is all they care about.

Can't beleive people will vote for the parties that these people represent.

[Mr Bojangles]

Don't care what anyone else thinks, but this is a rotten, stinking government, that has brought this once great country to it's knees.

If you're honest, hard working and decent then you can expect FUCK ALL in return, if on the other hand you're a lying, lazy and a criminal then you are in the right place and the world as they say is your oyster.

New Labour, fuck right off

[smoker]

Originally Posted by Mr Bojangles

Don't care what anyone else thinks, but this is a rotten, stinking government, that has brought this once great country to it's knees.

If you're honest, hard working and decent then you can expect FUCK ALL in return, if on the other hand you're a lying, lazy and a criminal then you are in the right place and the world as they say is your oyster.

New Labour, fuck right off

Drama queen. All the parties were on the fiddle. The problem is the system not the particular government.

[trevor]

Originally Posted by Mr Bojangles

Don't care what anyone else thinks, but this is a rotten, stinking government, that has brought this once great country to it's knees.

If you're honest, hard working and decent then you can expect FUCK ALL in return, if on the other hand you're a lying, lazy and a criminal then you are in the right place and the world as they say is your oyster.

New Labour, fuck right off