Peter Slipper found guilty

Former Speaker Peter Slipper has been found guilty of misusing taxpayer funded Cabcharge allowances.

Former Speaker Peter Slipper

Former Speaker Peter Slipper (AAP)

The former politician was found guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court this afternoon, following several failed bids to have the charges thrown out.

He had pleaded not guilty to three criminal charges relating to dishonest use of a taxpayer-funded Cabcharge card for $1000 worth of trips in 2010, before he became House of Representatives speaker.

The taxpayer funded CabCharges were used to tour wineries in the Canberra region.

The verdict was handed down by ACT Chief Magistrate Lorraine Walker, following a week long hearing.

The court heard that on three winery trips, Mr Slipper used multiple Cabcharge vouchers to divide the $900 in fares into smaller amounts, using descriptions like "parliament to suburbs" and "suburbs to suburbs".

The prosecution alleged Slipper knew that he was breaking the rules covering travel entitlements of parliamentarians and that his actions could cause a financial loss to the commonwealth. 

Ms Walker, in handing down her decision, said it wasn't unusual for Slipper to fill out multiple cab charges by hand instead of paying electronically.

"The issue is what he put in those vouchers," she said.

The suggestion Slipper was visiting suburbs was "implausible" when his real destination was wineries well outside Canberra. 

"The contents of these vouchers is clearly false," Ms Walker said. 

She was satisfied Slipper was dishonest, and there was only one reason he would fill out the Cabcharges incorrectly. 

"That was to misrepresent what he was actually doing."

Mr Slipper is due to be sentenced on September 22.


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2 min read

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Updated

By Stephanie Anderson

Source: World News Australia


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