Accused MPs argue over court hearing

THREE Labour MPs accused of fiddling their expenses, including Scunthorpe MP Elliot Morley, will argue they should be dealt with by Parliament instead of the courts, their lawyers said.
By The Newsroom
Published 30th Mar 2010, 16:54 BST

Judge Geoffrey Rivlin QC, the Honorary Recorder of Westminster, ordered legal representatives of Morley, as well as David Chaytor and Jim Devine to appear for three days of legal arguments starting on May 4 and ending on May 6, Southwark Crown Court in London heard.

The trio are accused of theft by false accounting, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of seven years imprisonment.

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But Louis Mably, prosecuting, and Ed Fitzgerald QC, defending Morley and Chaytor, indicated there were problems with the availability of leading counsel for May 4-6, which is set to coincide with the widely expected date for the general election.

The legal representatives will appear before the trial judge, Mr Justice Saunders, at a later date in a bid to agree a new time.

The three MPs will claim to be protected by parliamentary privilege, covered in the 1689 Bill of Rights, the court heard.

Morley, 57, of Winterton, North Lincolnshire, allegedly falsely claimed 30,428 in interest payments between 2004 and 2007 towards a mortgage on his home which he had already paid off.

All of the defendants are on unconditional bail.

Related topics:MPsScunthorpeParliament