I made error, says fraud inquiry MEP

Independent UKIP · 07-11-2007, 01:50 AM

I am so flabergasted that noone else has picked up on this story that I can't be bothered to check my spelling of flabergasted.

CEN News : Region-wide : I made error, says fraud inquiry MEP

Quote:

I made error, says fraud inquiry MEP

AN MEP who was suspended from the UK Independence Party after being investigated for fraud has said he made "a technical error".

Tom Wise, who represents the Eastern Region, admitted the mistake but said he had been cleared of wrongdoing by a European Parliament inquiry after "putting up his hands".

But he said he remains in the dark about the workings of an investigation still being carried out by OLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office.

He is alleged to have siphoned off £36,000 of public money into his own account by claiming it was the salary of an assistant, for which he is now being investigated by OLAF.

Speaking exclusively to the News he said: "I handled funds I should not have handled, that I should not have been handling. But then I put my hand up to it, they [the European Parliament] looked at that and cleared me.

"OLAF are investigating and they are looking at the same thing as the European Parliament. Then someone else will probably have another go. As soon as you throw some mud, it will stick. How many times do you have to go through this?"

The MEP was in Cambridge on Saturday to give his backing to the NO2ID campaign, which opposes the introduction of compulsory ID cards in this country.

Mr Wise was suspended from his party in February when the OLAF investigation was launched over allegations of financial irregularities. A statement from UKIP at the time said they had taken the action because of his failure to disclose information.

The suspension is no longer in place and Mr Wise, who lives in Bedfordshire, said he has continued to work at "full pelt" as an MEP since the investigations began.

The ex-policeman said he believes OLAF has reached a conclusion in its findings, but said nothing has yet been communicated to him or in public.

Mr Wise said the anti-fraud office will "conclude what it wants to conclude" but added: "As far as OLAF is concerned, I have been cleared once and I have not benefited financially."

A UKIP spokesman said Mr Wise was still a member of the party and that, although the party had at one point suspended the whip from the MEP it had recently restored it.

He said: "We have restored the whip in order that if he has it we can discipline him. If he was outside it and OLAF ruled against him, we can not discipline him as far as we are aware as a UKIP MEP."

The spokesman said the party is now waiting for the ruling from OLAF before deciding what further action to take. If Mr Wise is found to have committed fraud he could be asked to leave or be suspended.
06 November 2007

Anthony Butcher · 07-11-2007, 02:47 AM

Does the technical error include the technical mistake of buying a car with the funds that he technically acquired?

MEP 'bought car with taxpayers' funds' - Times Online

Quote:

An MEP from the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) who embezzled tens of thousands of pounds of taxpayers’ money by pretending to be someone else used some of the cash to buy a new car.
Tom Wise spent £6,500 on a dark green Peugeot 406 saloon after siphoning EU money intended to fund the salary of his researcher, Lindsay Jenkins, into his own bank account.

At a meeting of the party’s MEPs on Wednesday morning, prompted by revelations in last weekend’s Sunday Times about Wise's embezzlement, he admitted he had used some of the money to buy the car, contradicting previous UKIP statements that the cash had not benefited Wise personally.

komerad · 07-11-2007, 07:11 AM

Wish I could make "technical errors" like that - my car is well past its prime

mkpdavies · 07-11-2007, 11:41 AM

God this sounds like the old lot.

When are we going to get some people of principle to vote for again?

harryaldridge · 07-11-2007, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mkpdavies

God this sounds like the old lot.

When are we going to get some people of principle to vote for again?

I would be tempted. No greater pleasure than in sticking it to them from within their sacred temple! But I am already PPC for Horsham and so might conflict if elections occur together.

gawain · 07-11-2007, 02:37 PM

In the Cambridge Evening News a UKIP spokesman was quoted as saying that Tom Wise MEP had had the whip restored in order for the party to discipline him. This is not correct.
Tom Wise is still suspended from the UKIP group in the European Parliament although a ban on undertaking party activities has been lifted. There are disciplinary proceedings in hand. However, Mr Wise does not have the UKIP whip in the European Parliament.

Dr John Whittaker MEP
Chairman, UK Independence Party

SponPlague · 07-11-2007, 03:11 PM

Thank you for the clarification, Gawain...

Little Englander (sour) · 07-11-2007, 03:16 PM

And UKIP wonders why their prospects in the gambling world are "ZERO", I think their prospects in the real world are just about the same.

Petrina · 07-11-2007, 10:59 PM

What is obvious is that until this whole business is properly cleared up (which it could have been if Trevor Coleman`s internal inquiry had been allowed to continue in a proper fashion ) it will hang over UKIP and Wise like a dark cloud .

Anything done by UKIP is now too late to save our name as a party which takes our MEPs` proberty seriously -otherwise we would have either cleared him or sacked him by now .

TW made an error and so did our leadership .

Barboo · 08-11-2007, 08:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gawain

However, Mr Wise does not have the UKIP whip in the European Parliament.

Dr John Whittaker MEP
Chairman, UK Independence Party

What precisely, in practical terms, does not having the whip in the European parliament entail?

07-11-2007, 11:41 AM	#4 (permalink)
mkpdavies Uber Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Woking Posts: 30,808	God this sounds like the old lot. When are we going to get some people of principle to vote for again? __________________ http://brits4ronpaul.blogspot.com/ http://wokinglibertarians.blogspot.com/ http://lpuk.org My ignore list Labour, Blue Labour, Lib Dems

07-11-2007, 02:37 PM	#6 (permalink)
gawain Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Posts: 268	Correction In the Cambridge Evening News a UKIP spokesman was quoted as saying that Tom Wise MEP had had the whip restored in order for the party to discipline him. This is not correct. Tom Wise is still suspended from the UKIP group in the European Parliament although a ban on undertaking party activities has been lifted. There are disciplinary proceedings in hand. However, Mr Wise does not have the UKIP whip in the European Parliament. Dr John Whittaker MEP Chairman, UK Independence Party

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LinkBacks (?) LinkBack to this Thread: http://www.democracyforum.co.uk/ukip-general-issues/43860-i-made-error-says-fraud-inquiry-mep.html
Posted By	For	Type	Date
British Democracy Forum (& UKIP)	This thread	Refback	08-11-2007 11:39 PM

07-11-2007, 07:11 AM	#3 (permalink)
komerad Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Cardiff. S.Wales Posts: 607	Wish I could make "technical errors" like that - my car is well past its prime

07-11-2007, 03:11 PM	#7 (permalink)
SponPlague Uber Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Zurich Posts: 2,991	Thank you for the clarification, Gawain...

07-11-2007, 03:16 PM	#8 (permalink)
Little Englander (sour) Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Portsmouth Posts: 949 Party: English Democrats	And UKIP wonders why their prospects in the gambling world are "ZERO", I think their prospects in the real world are just about the same.

07-11-2007, 10:59 PM	#9 (permalink)
Petrina Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: sussex Posts: 1,034	What is obvious is that until this whole business is properly cleared up (which it could have been if Trevor Coleman`s internal inquiry had been allowed to continue in a proper fashion ) it will hang over UKIP and Wise like a dark cloud . Anything done by UKIP is now too late to save our name as a party which takes our MEPs` proberty seriously -otherwise we would have either cleared him or sacked him by now . TW made an error and so did our leadership .