Jim Devine guilty of expenses fraud – update

Former Labour MP Jim Devine has been found guilty of making false expenses claims worth £8,385 for printing and cleaning work at his London flat.

Devine was convicted on two charges of false accounting at Southwark Crown Court in London, but was cleared of a third charge relating to £360 that he sought to pay a cleaner.

He was the first MP to stand trial after the parliamentary expenses scandal and could now face up to seven years in prison. The former Scottish Labour MP was granted unconditional bail and will be sentenced in four weeks.

Peter Wright QC, prosecuting, said Devine made the fraudulent claims "with a view to gain for himself, or with an intent to cause loss to another - the public purse".

Earlier this week the landmark trial took on some interesting twists and provoked heated debate in the AccountingWEB.co.uk Money laundering and crime discussion group.

The prosecution alleged that Devine submitted false invoices in support of the following claims:

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