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MPs to face criminal charges

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5th February 2010

Three MPs and a member of the House of Lords will face criminal charges over their expenses claims, the Crown Prosecution Service has announced.

Labour's Jim Devine, Elliot Morley and David Chaytor will be charged under the Theft Act 1968 with false accounting.

Lord Hanningfield faces six charges for claiming expenses he was not entitled to, director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer announced this morning.

Morley, MP for Scunthorpe, faces two charges for dishonest mortgage claims.

Devine (Lab, Livingston) is accused of using false receipts to claim money from Commons authorities.

Chaytor is charged with three counts, including using a false receipt and claiming rent for a property he owns.

Summonses have been obtained from the City of Westminster magistrates court and will be served on the parliamentarians.

Starmer also revealed that there is insufficient evidence to prosecute Lord Clarke of Hampstead over his claims and a sixth parliamentarian is "still under consideration" and a criminal investigation is ongoing.

Lord Hanningfield, a former Conservative spokesman in the Lords, is accused of repeatedly claiming for overnight stays in London when records show he was driven home.

Strarmer said he is pursuing prosecutions because there is sufficient evidence and they are in the public interest.

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