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Tom Wise jailed over expenses fraud

Published on 12 Nov 2009 under category: legal

A former member of the European parliament (MEP) has been jailed for fraud crimes.

Tom Wise has been given a two-year sentence for an expenses scam worth around £39,000.

Wise, who was a member of Ukip before standing down and becoming independent, was found to have claimed a £3,000 monthly secretarial allowance for his researcher Lindsay Jenkins.

However, a court heard that the 61-year-old instead diverted some of the cash into a secret bank account and used it to pay off debts and buy a new car.

Judge Geoffrey Rivlin said: "It is no exaggeration to say that you had hardly got your feet beneath your desk as an MEP before you were planning to defraud the parliament to which you were elected and the people you were elected to serve."

Earlier this week, two former Bear Stearns hedge fund managers were cleared of fraud crimes linked to allegations of misleading clients.

If you require advice on Corporate Fraud please call us on +44 (0)20 7831 0101 and ask for Dan Hyde.