{UAH} UK MP JAILED FOR EXPENSES FRAUD
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WBK/ Sheme/ Jim Muwanga/Dan Bwanika Lwero
Another of our MEPs sent to jail for a lengthy spell to cool his
heels. Coulld our own judicial system be equally harsh on our thieving
MPs? I doubt it, since the Commander- in -Thief Yoweri Kaguta
Museveni Kayibanda is always the one who authorises illegal payments
to the MPIGS.
George Okello
Former MEP Ashley Mote jailed over expenses fraud
13 July 2015From the section England
Ashley Mote sat as a South East England MEP between 2004 and 2009
A former MEP who fraudulently claimed almost £500,000 in European
Parliament expenses has been jailed.
Ashley Mote, 79, was convicted of 12 charges relating to claims for
payments to people he said were whistleblowers.
The offences included fraud, acquiring criminal property and false accounting.
Mote, who was elected on a UKIP ticket but sat as an independent MEP
for South East England, was sentenced to five years at London's
Southwark Crown Court.
'Greed and dishonesty'
In May, he was convicted of four counts of obtaining a money transfer
by deception, three of false accounting, two of fraud, and one each of
acquiring criminal property, concealing criminal property and theft.
The offences took place between November 2004 and July 2010.
He was never a UKIP MEP I'm pleased to say. He was elected on a UKIP
list: Farage, UKIP leader
On sentencing, Mr Justice Stuart-Smith told Mote: "[The jury] listened
to you closely for days as you lied, protested, lied and lied again
about the monies you had fraudulently claimed as expenses while
serving your constituents and your country as an MEP.
"During the period from 2004 to 2009 you corruptly fiddled over
£400,000 in expenses.
"Your greed and dishonesty were matched only by your hypocrisy,
because while this was going on you carried out a high-profile
campaign condemning corruption and the improper use of public money in
the very institution from which you were leeching it."
'Political hero'
During the trial, the jury heard how Mote, of Binsted, Hampshire,
submitted numerous false expenses claims for payment for work that
organisations had allegedly carried out on his behalf.
Mote claimed the money was to pay whistleblowers in cash through third
parties. He also said he had been "targeted for being an anti-EU MEP".
Mr Justice Smith said: "You knew perfectly well what the rules were
for the claiming of expenses and you also knew perfectly well that
what you were doing had nothing to do with funding whistleblowers and
everything to do with funding your bridging loan, your mortgage, your
legal expenses that were unrelated to your role as an MEP."
He told Mote he had deceived people who had considered him to be
"something of a political hero" and described his dishonesty as
"breathtaking".
"As you came to towards the end of your time as an MEP you decided to
milk what you saw as your cash cow to the limit," he added.
He told Mote that the sentence was reduced to five years because of his age.
"If you were a young man, I would make a modest reduction to six years
eight months on the grounds of totality," he said.
"But you are not a young man, and I consider that such a sentence
would be a crushing blow which, even if justifiable, should be avoided
if possible."
In response to mitigation from Tim Moloney QC that Mote had done
valuable work as a politician, Mr Justice Smith said: "It's a bit
double-edged for a person who goes trumpeting loud that he's going to
clear up corruption in the European Parliament while fleecing it as
hard as he could."
'Wrong 'un'
Mote sat as an independent from 2004-2009 after being expelled from
UKIP for benefit fraud.
He was jailed for nine months but was able to keep his seat because
his sentence was under a year in length.
About £100,000 of the bogus expenses Mote claimed were used to fund
his legal fees when he was prosecuted for benefits fraud.
UKIP party leader Nigel Farage said: "He was never a UKIP MEP I'm
pleased to say. He was elected on a UKIP list.
"I found out very quickly and thought he was a wrong 'un so I kicked
him out of the party, and this will be his second prison sentence so
there you are.
"He never took his seat as a UKIP MEP. He was a member of UKIP, who
was elected and I kicked him out even before he took his seat."
--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com or Abbey Semuwemba at: abbeysemuwemba@gmail.com.
Another of our MEPs sent to jail for a lengthy spell to cool his
heels. Coulld our own judicial system be equally harsh on our thieving
MPs? I doubt it, since the Commander- in -Thief Yoweri Kaguta
Museveni Kayibanda is always the one who authorises illegal payments
to the MPIGS.
George Okello
Former MEP Ashley Mote jailed over expenses fraud
13 July 2015From the section England
Ashley Mote sat as a South East England MEP between 2004 and 2009
A former MEP who fraudulently claimed almost £500,000 in European
Parliament expenses has been jailed.
Ashley Mote, 79, was convicted of 12 charges relating to claims for
payments to people he said were whistleblowers.
The offences included fraud, acquiring criminal property and false accounting.
Mote, who was elected on a UKIP ticket but sat as an independent MEP
for South East England, was sentenced to five years at London's
Southwark Crown Court.
'Greed and dishonesty'
In May, he was convicted of four counts of obtaining a money transfer
by deception, three of false accounting, two of fraud, and one each of
acquiring criminal property, concealing criminal property and theft.
The offences took place between November 2004 and July 2010.
He was never a UKIP MEP I'm pleased to say. He was elected on a UKIP
list: Farage, UKIP leader
On sentencing, Mr Justice Stuart-Smith told Mote: "[The jury] listened
to you closely for days as you lied, protested, lied and lied again
about the monies you had fraudulently claimed as expenses while
serving your constituents and your country as an MEP.
"During the period from 2004 to 2009 you corruptly fiddled over
£400,000 in expenses.
"Your greed and dishonesty were matched only by your hypocrisy,
because while this was going on you carried out a high-profile
campaign condemning corruption and the improper use of public money in
the very institution from which you were leeching it."
'Political hero'
During the trial, the jury heard how Mote, of Binsted, Hampshire,
submitted numerous false expenses claims for payment for work that
organisations had allegedly carried out on his behalf.
Mote claimed the money was to pay whistleblowers in cash through third
parties. He also said he had been "targeted for being an anti-EU MEP".
Mr Justice Smith said: "You knew perfectly well what the rules were
for the claiming of expenses and you also knew perfectly well that
what you were doing had nothing to do with funding whistleblowers and
everything to do with funding your bridging loan, your mortgage, your
legal expenses that were unrelated to your role as an MEP."
He told Mote he had deceived people who had considered him to be
"something of a political hero" and described his dishonesty as
"breathtaking".
"As you came to towards the end of your time as an MEP you decided to
milk what you saw as your cash cow to the limit," he added.
He told Mote that the sentence was reduced to five years because of his age.
"If you were a young man, I would make a modest reduction to six years
eight months on the grounds of totality," he said.
"But you are not a young man, and I consider that such a sentence
would be a crushing blow which, even if justifiable, should be avoided
if possible."
In response to mitigation from Tim Moloney QC that Mote had done
valuable work as a politician, Mr Justice Smith said: "It's a bit
double-edged for a person who goes trumpeting loud that he's going to
clear up corruption in the European Parliament while fleecing it as
hard as he could."
'Wrong 'un'
Mote sat as an independent from 2004-2009 after being expelled from
UKIP for benefit fraud.
He was jailed for nine months but was able to keep his seat because
his sentence was under a year in length.
About £100,000 of the bogus expenses Mote claimed were used to fund
his legal fees when he was prosecuted for benefits fraud.
UKIP party leader Nigel Farage said: "He was never a UKIP MEP I'm
pleased to say. He was elected on a UKIP list.
"I found out very quickly and thought he was a wrong 'un so I kicked
him out of the party, and this will be his second prison sentence so
there you are.
"He never took his seat as a UKIP MEP. He was a member of UKIP, who
was elected and I kicked him out even before he took his seat."
--
Disclaimer:Everyone posting to this Forum bears the sole responsibility for any legal consequences of his or her postings, and hence statements and facts must be presented responsibly. Your continued membership signifies that you agree to this disclaimer and pledge to abide by our Rules and Guidelines.To unsubscribe from this group, send email to: ugandans-at-heart+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com or Abbey Semuwemba at: abbeysemuwemba@gmail.com.
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