Embattled MP Troy Bell allegedly made more than $54,000 in false claims for a taxpayer-funded allowance, court documents reveal.
Court documents allege he collected $54,424 over five years by deceiving staff at South Australia's parliament — who approved the payment of the Country Members Accommodation Allowance — "by falsely claiming he was entitled to be paid".
The member for Mount Gambier was charged with 52 counts of deception over his claims to the Country Members Accommodation Allowance (CMAA) between 2015-2020 earlier this week.
The independent MP strongly denied the charges and said he was aware "similar allegations" were levelled against other country MPs, "some of whom have since admitted to incorrectly claiming travel allowances".
The allowance is a nightly payment made to regional MPs who need to be in the city overnight for work and whose usual place of residence is more than 75 kilometres from Adelaide.
Since the ABC began investigating the CMAA last year, more than $100,000 in incorrect or questionable claims have been identified.
He did not explain why he was making the repayment at the time, only saying it was "out of an abundance of caution".
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