Milking the System
Former Labour MP - Margaret Moran - appeared in court yesterday and provided us all with a timely reminder about the greed and selfishness - that underpinned the MPs expenses scandal.
Moran is accused of illegally claiming up to £80,000 in parliamentary expenses - and faces 15 charges of false accounting - and six of using a false instrument by submitting false invoices.
Like many other MPs - Moran was 'flipping' expenses claims between her constituency home - and a second property - effectively milking the system and maximising what she could claim.
The charges allege that Margaret Moran dishonestly claimed £22,500 to repair dry rot at her Southampton home - as well as falsely claiming £14,805 for boiler repairs - and other work on her conservatory.
The public prosecutor told the court that the charges involved a total of around £80,000 - in false and dishonest claims - more than three times what the average person in the UK earns in a whole year.
So it looks highly likely that the former MP will follow four other Labour colleagues - David Chaytor, Jim Devine, Eric Illsley and Elliott Morley - by being sent to jail.
No plea has been made to the court - so the whole expensive charade has been continued with another trial date set - for Southwark Crown Court on 28 October 2011.
Let's hope by then Ms Moran will have decided to cut her losses - face up to her behaviour - and stops wasting everyone's time.
Moran is accused of illegally claiming up to £80,000 in parliamentary expenses - and faces 15 charges of false accounting - and six of using a false instrument by submitting false invoices.
Like many other MPs - Moran was 'flipping' expenses claims between her constituency home - and a second property - effectively milking the system and maximising what she could claim.
The charges allege that Margaret Moran dishonestly claimed £22,500 to repair dry rot at her Southampton home - as well as falsely claiming £14,805 for boiler repairs - and other work on her conservatory.
The public prosecutor told the court that the charges involved a total of around £80,000 - in false and dishonest claims - more than three times what the average person in the UK earns in a whole year.
So it looks highly likely that the former MP will follow four other Labour colleagues - David Chaytor, Jim Devine, Eric Illsley and Elliott Morley - by being sent to jail.
No plea has been made to the court - so the whole expensive charade has been continued with another trial date set - for Southwark Crown Court on 28 October 2011.
Let's hope by then Ms Moran will have decided to cut her losses - face up to her behaviour - and stops wasting everyone's time.
