Euro MP used '£17k expenses to fund trips, shopping sprees and ex-wife's car bills'
A LABOUR Euro MP used £17,000 of expenses to pay for trips to the United States, shopping sprees and his ex-wife's car repair bills, a court heard.
Peter Skinner is accused of spending £17,000 on expenses for things like shopping trips
Peter Skinner, 56, even used one of his seven bank accounts to channel money to his parents every three months, it was alleged.
As South-east region MEP, he used his parliamentary allowance to pay the repair cost for his former wife's Land Rover Discovery, London's Southwark Crown Court was told.
Mr Skinner served as an MEP from 1999 to 2014
Skinner, from Snodland, Kent, an MEP from 1999 to 2014, is accused of using his parliamentary assistance allowance for stays at hotels, jewellery purchases, restaurant meals and shopping sprees.
The reason he did that was to stop the European Parliament enquiring into his conduct
He faked documents and provided misleading or false information to justify his claims, the jury was told.
Jonathan Davies, prosecuting, said: "The reason he did that was to stop the European Parliament enquiring into his conduct and his claims and enquiring into the amounts of his allowances that we say he diverted for use elsewhere."
The former MEP is accused of putting trips to America on his expenses
He allegedly faked documents to avoid being caught
Skinner, who denies fraud, false accounting and making a false instrument, claimed the maximum allowances between 2004 and 2007 of £480,000.
He was an MEP from 1999 to 2014.
The trial continues.