MEP Jim Allister has accused the DUP of trying to assassinate his character after it raised a series of queries about his expenses claims and who he employs.
The Traditional Unionist Voice leader’s use of public funds, allocated to him through the European Parliament, have come under scrutiny amid questioning from DUP MLA Simon Hamilton.
MEPs are not subject to the same laws as UK politicians when it c
omes to making public their expenses claims and other matters relating to their financial dealings.
Therefore, Mr Allister does not have to declare records such as travel costs or rental agreements, although they are logged with officials in Brussels.
The DUP said it was simply asking legitimate questions as the MEP does when making use of Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to inquire into the conduct and affairs of DUP representatives.
But Mr Allister yesterday told the News Letter that, unlike him, the DUP was not uncovering anything, but trying to sling mud in his direction in the hope that his good name would be besmirched.
“They have issued a statement, in the name of Simon Hamilton, which uses very dangerous language in what it is inferring about my use of public funds.”
He suggested people should ask why he was the focus of questions and not the other Ulster MEPs, also.
“I greatly resent any insinuation that financial gain is my motivation in politics, or that I have behaved dishonourably.”
And he said that as the DUP could not attack his work record it was “stooping to the gutter to try and make a story where there is none”.
He added: “I have no objection to answering the legitimate questions of legitimate watchdogs, such as Open Europe, and have done so fully, but I do not intend to play the DUP’s disingenuous game of attempted character assassination.
“I am paid the exact same salary as a UK MP, I receive travel expenses to travel to Europe at the flat rate set by Brussels. Do the DUP expect me to travel to Brussels and Strasbourg at my own expense, while their MPs, when they go, rightly have free travel to Westminster?”
He also noted he has answered a range of questions about his affairs on his own website and via the Open Europe website - the think tank monitoring MEPs.
He had already willingly made public the fact that his office in east Belfast is owned by his family and he employs his daughter, although he has not published his expenses claims.
Mr Hamilton called for full disclosure.
He said: “Mr Allister has chosen over the course of the last 14 months or so to set himself up as the guardian of transparency in government and the champion of openness.
“His frequent recourse to FoI requests is well-documented. Yet strangely, Mr Allister enjoys a privileged position. As an MEP he is not subjected to the same FoI legislation that he has deployed against others.”
He posed seven questions, including how much did Mr Allister claim for travel expenses from the European Parliament since his election and if he was using European Funds to employ family members or pay rent to family.
The full article contains 538 words and appears in News Letter newspaper.
