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SA MP charged with 23 counts of deception
A South Australian member of Parliament, who is admitted as a solicitor and barrister in the state, allegedly made 78 fraudulent claims for a country club allowance.
Jerome Doraisamy
Last Wednesday, 17 February the South Australian Director of Public Prosecutions filed an information in the Adelaide Magistrates Court charging Fraser Ellis MP with 23 counts of deception, contrary to s 139 the Criminal Law Consolidation Act (SA).
It will be alleged by the DPP that, between 13 May 2018 and 12 June 2020, Mr Ellis made 78 fraudulent claims for the Country Members Accommodation Allowance, totalling more than $18,000.
Accommodation allowance at the club is available to South Australian MPs, Ms Vanstone said, whose usual place of residence is more than 75 kilometres from Adelaide, and who are required to stay in Adelaide overnight to attend to parliamentary or other relevant duties.
It will be alleged, she noted, that Mr Ellis claimed the allowance for nights he did not spend in Adelaide.
Ms Vanstone’s statement was prompted by Mr Ellis’ remarks in the State Parliament earlier on Friday morning, in which he said “there has been no public statements from the ICAC or the Department of Public Prosecutions because I have nothing to hide, my conscience is clear”.
“I am completely innocent and I will be vigorously defending these allegations to the full extent of my resources and the law,” he proclaimed.
Mr Ellis has been served a summons to appear in the Adelaide Magistrates Court at 10:00am on 31 March 2021.
Ms Vanstone’s investigation into claims by other members of Parliament continues.
Jerome Doraisamy
Jerome Doraisamy is the editor of Lawyers Weekly. A former lawyer, he has worked at Momentum Media as a journalist on Lawyers Weekly since February 2018, and has served as editor since March 2022. He is also the host of all five shows under The Lawyers Weekly Podcast Network, and has overseen the brand's audio medium growth from 4,000 downloads per month to over 60,000 downloads per month, making The Lawyers Weekly Show the most popular industry-specific podcast in Australia. Jerome is also the author of The Wellness Doctrines book series, an admitted solicitor in NSW, and a board director of Minds Count.
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