Saying "Yes" to Fraud

Things really are different down in Brussels, even morality. There must be something in the water which makes it so ...

Members of the European Parliament rejected moves yesterday to clean up scandal-ridden arrangements for their travel allowances and expenses. Their decision prompted anger and disbelief from British MEPs, who voted for proposed reforms.

In a series of votes carried by a margin of six to four at a full session of the parliament in Strasbourg, MEPs resisted proposals for audits of their accounts and turned down calls to impose sanctions on those found to have defrauded the taxpayer.

The votes "gave an all-clear to embezzlement", said Chris Davies MEP, the leader of the British Liberal Democrats in the parliament.

Mr Davies expressed particular disappointment after his fellow MEPs voted to continue a trust-based system for payments into the parliament's private pension scheme.

The scheme is wide open to fraud. MEPs who choose to join can pay up to £664 a month into their pension plans, with their contribution deducted from their office expense account, not from their salary.

In theory, MEPs then reimburse their office accounts for pension contributions but no checks are carried out.

[...]

The parliament also voted to maintain its travel allowance scheme. By buying cheaper fares in advance, or using budget airlines, a British MEP could easily make up to £500 profit in a week.

What's all that nonsense about "accountability" again? Someone explain to me why the British, Swedish or Finnish publics should put decision-making for their countries in the hands of legislators whose aspiration seems to be emulate the avarice of Nigerian politicians.

Comments

[Factory]

"The parliament also voted to maintain its travel allowance scheme. By buying cheaper fares in advance, or using budget airlines, a British MEP could easily make up to £500 profit in a week."
Erm that's a business expense, if you want MEPs to do a crappy job then giving them crappy resources (in this case travel expenses) is going to get that result. It's not like Europe is so poor that airfares are a crushing burden.
The other stuff I agree looks like a rort, prolly the solution here is to eliminate the loop hole by just giving them a 664 pound monthly addition to their pensions. Hmm it's hardly a great amount of money, my super is about a quarter of it.

[Abiola Lapite]

It's only a "business expense" if you actually *spend* it; claiming expenses one hasn't shelled out for is fraud, pure and simple, and it doesn't matter whether or not it amounts to a "crushing burden."

[Wayne]

Is this the same parliament where, when numerous lawmakers were caught on film repeatedly signing the attendance allowance register early in the day and then bunking the rest, it proceeded to vote that the press be banned from ever seeing the register again?

[bucanero]

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