4 lawmakers plead innocent to dishonest accounting in the UK’s expense claims scandal

4 UK lawmakers in court over expenses scandal

LONDON — Four legislators being prosecuted in a political scandal involving fraudulent expenses claims by hundreds of British lawmakers pleaded not guilty on Thursday.

The three governing Labour Party legislators and a member of the House of Lords are accused of using thousands of pounds (dollars) in taxpayers’ money to fund private expenses.

Appearing at London’s Westminster Magistrates Court to face charges of theft by false accounting, Elliot Morley, David Chaytor, Jim Devine and Paul White denied any wrongdoing.

Lawyers acting for the four men told the judge they would argue that legislators are protected from prosecution by parliamentary privilege in the 1689 Bill of Rights.

“Proceedings in parliament cannot be impeached or questioned in any court or place outside parliament,” said Julian Knowles, who represents Morley, Chaytor and Devine.

Chaytor faces three charges of false accounting. He is accused of using false invoices to bill the public for IT services, as well as thousands of pounds in rent for a London house he already owned and rent for another house owned by his mother.

Devine faces two charges of using false invoices for claims for cleaning and stationery, and Morley faces two charges of claiming public money in mortgage payments on a loan that had already been paid off.

White, known as Lord Hanningfield, is alleged to have submitted claims for overnight stays in London when records show that he had driven home.

If found guilty, the lawmakers could face jail sentences of up to seven years. All four were released on unconditional bail and ordered to appear at Southwark Crown Court on March 30.

The scandal involving many legislators outraged taxpayers and sparked calls for an overhaul of the expenses system. Leaked documents showed politicians claimed public money to fund everything from swank second homes to horse manure, pornographic movies and a mole catcher.

Thanks to the scandal, nine of Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s ministers quit and his Labour Party suffered heavy losses in local and European elections.