CBC: Lavigne's expenses: Senate's hands tied

[tuvor]

It is the kind of thing that drives taxpayers crazy — a senator charged with fraud in 2007 is barred from the upper chamber, but today continues to charge over $10,000 a month in expenses on top of his $132,000 annual salary.

Almost four years ago, RCMP charged Senator Raymond Lavigne with fraudulently misusing his government expense account.

That prompted the Senate to bar him from voting or even setting foot in the upper house, but left him with his salary and expense accounts intact.

With his case remarkably still crawling through the courts, the senator has so far cost taxpayers over $700,000 for work that remains a bit of a mystery even among his Senate colleagues.

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http://www.cbc.ca/politics/story/2011/01/06/weston-lavigne.html