Thursday, 11 June 2009

Shahid Malik - still

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2009/jun/11/shahis-malik-expenses-admission

After just yesterday posting about the re instatement of Mr Malik the fishy smell grows.

Hes been claiming for 2 offices in two homes, when he may have had only one, or two, with living area, or one with living area, or just living area - AAAAAARGGGGGH!

C'mon Gordy - are you really that stupid to re instate this crook (strong language from me I know), or has he got something on you, or perhaps he's vowed to be a crony.

Just in case it gets lost, here's the full text of th article from the Guardian

Shahid Malik has admitted that he claimed costs of office space in his constituency home as well as his designated second home simultaneously, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The admission comes within days of the MP for Dewsbury being reinstated in government by Gordon Brown as part of his reshuffle.

The prime minister brought Malik back to the fold as communities minister just weeks after he stepped down as justice minister in the wake of reports in the Telegraph that he was paying well below the market rate for the rent of his home in his constituency.

Brown made the appointment after receiving assurances from Malik that his financial affairs were in order.

But it emerged yesterday that Malik had claimed more than £6,500 for a property described as "office 2" on his parliamentary claim form, which has turned out to be the ground floor of his constituency home in Dewsbury.

Malik said he needed the extra office space because the constituency office he inherited was not big enough. But his expense files show he moved out of the original office into a new office in April 2006 but continued to claim £200 a month on his office allowance for "office 2" until at least April 2008, according to the newspaper.

Malik insisted last night that he paid rent separately for the "living area" of his consituency home. However, no formal rental agreement existed for the "living area" and Malik did not disclose how much rent he paid.

The Telegraph said he confirmed his controversial "two homes on expenses"arrangements last night.

Brown's official spokesman made clear it was up to Malik to explain his use of public money.

Malik reportedly told the Telegraph that he had rented the office space because the office he inherited from his predecessor as Dewsbury MP, Ann Taylor, had been too small, he said. "I rented additional office space in my constituency because the office which I took over from my predecessor did not have enough room to accommodate my staff, who were working with me to serve the needs of my constituents.

"I worked from the additional office space between Thursday and Monday and during recess periods and a member of my staff was also based there until moving to the new offices in 2007."

Commons documents show that Malik left his predecessor's office in April 2006 and began claiming Commons office expenses on a new office, in a shopping parade on Daisy Hill.

Malik has claimed £6,000 a year for the rent on the office in Daisy Hill since then.

Both his constituency office and constituency home are owned by Tahir Zaman, a friend of Malik, according to the paper.

Malik stood down from government last month when it was reported that he was paying Zaman well below the market rate.

Brown brought him back into government after an investigation by Sir Philip Mawer, the prime minister's adviser on ministerial rules, cleared Marlik of any failure to comply with the ministerial code.

After initially resisting, Brown has agreed to publish an edited sumary of Mawer's report.

The prime minister's spokesman stressed that Mawer's investigation related to allegations of a breach of the ministerial code in relation to supposedly preferential rent offered to Malik on his Dewsbury home.

Questions relating to his expenses claims were for the MP himself to answer.

Asked whether the prime minister was confident that Malik had been completely frank with Sir Philip about the financial arrangements surrounding the Dewsbury property, Brown's spokesman said: "We would expect all government ministers to comply fully with the independent investigator and we have no reason to believe that's not the case with Shahid Malik."

The spokesman stressed that Mawer's investigation related to allegations of a breach of the ministerial code in relation to supposedly preferential rent offered to Malik on his Dewsbury home.

Questions relating to his expenses claims were for the MP himself to answer.

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