AN East of England MEP targeted by a Sunday newspaper in an expenses expose is facing criminal charges.

Graham Dines

AN East of England MEP targeted by a Sunday newspaper in an expenses expose is facing criminal charges.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has advised Bedfordshire Police to charge former UK Independence Party MEP Tom Wise, who now sits as an independent MEP for East Anglia, and his then researcher Lindsay Jenkins with one count each of false accounting and one count each of money laundering.

Mr Wise was elected to the European Parliament in 2004 as one of a dozen UKIP members, but is now a “non-attached” MEP hoping to fight the next euro-elections in June.

The charge relate to alleged offences between October 2004 and September 2005, when Mr Wise was still a UKIP member.

Derek Frame, reviewing lawyer of the CPS Special Crime Division, said in a statement: "'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.

"These charges relate to alleged offences committed between October 2004 and September 2005. At the time Mr Wise was a Member of the European Parliament representing the United Kingdom Independence Party and Ms Jenkins was employed by him as a researcher.'

Mr Wise and his researcher are due to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court on April 27.