Wise, who became an MEP in 2004, but did not seek re-election this year, paid an associate around €500 a month out of the more than €3,000 he received from the Parliament for administrative expenses every month, pocketing the remainder. The associate has been cleared of any wrongdoing.
The scam took place in 2004-05 and came to a halt when a British newspaper uncovered it. Wise was expelled from UKIP when the fraud came to light.
Wise is the first British politician to be found guilty of embezzling his expenses in more than a decade. The judge who sentenced Wise today said that he had engaged in “deliberate and blatant dishonesty”.
