British MEP charged with money laundering

A British member of the European Parliament has been charged with false accounting and money laundering, the prosecutors' office said.

Tom Wise, 60, a former UK Independence Party (UKIP) MEP who now sits as an independent, was investigated by police after claims made about his conduct in tabloid the News of the World four years ago.

His former researcher, Lindsay Jenkins, faces the same charges, which relate to the generous expenses received by MEPs.

"Following the publication of a news article in October 2005 relating to Mr Wise and Ms Jenkins, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF) began an investigation into Mr Wise's use of allowances," said Derek Frame of the Crown Prosecution Service in a statement released Monday.

OLAF had passed the investigation to a economic crime unit with the English police, said Frame, reviewing lawyer of the CPS' Special Crime Division.

"I received the full file on 20 March, 2009 and carefully reviewed the evidence before making this decision."

Wise's former party UKIP is a Eurosceptic party which feels too much power is being concentrated in Brussels at the expense of British sovereignty.

It withdrew European Parliament party voting rights from Wise in 2007 after it learned he was under investigation.

Party leader Nigel Farage said UKIP had acted swiftly to remove Wise.

"We dealt with Tom Wise ruthlessly, kicking him out of the group over two years ago," said Farage.

Source: AFP