BRITISH MP ERIC ILLSLEY has become the first sitting MP to be convicted of expenses fraud, the Guardian reports.
Illsley had been elected the Labour Party representative for Barnsley Central, but was thrown out of the party after he was charged over the expenses and is now independent.
He pleaded guilty to three counts of false accounting regarding three years of expenses claimed for a second home in London.
He had previously denied falsely claiming over £25,000 (€19,200), but his lawyer said he admitted wrongly claiming £14,500 (€11,180)
Illsley will be sentenced in a month’s time and could be disqualified as an MP if he is given a jail sentence of 12 months or more, according to the BBC.
On Friday, former Labour Party MP David Chaytor was sentenced to 18 months in prison for filing false expenses claims after pleading guilty to three counts of false accounting last month. He had also been ejected from the party after allegations of his fraudulent activities arose in 2009.
The MP expenses scandal was covered extensively by the Telegraph since 2009 and investigators are understood to have recommended bringing charges against six current and former MPs as well as four members of the House of Lords.
Claims for expenses made by MPs and listed by the Telegraph include £97 for two oak toilet seats, £0.55 for a cup of Horlicks and £24 for a hairdryer.
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