BBC NEWS Charges 'unlikely' over expenses The Metropolitan Police has not ruled out criminal probes over MPs expenses.
In a statement, Scotland Yard said it was highly unlikely MPs would be taken to court, unless there was proof they misled Parliamentary authorities.
But it added that a special panel needed more information in a "small number" of cases before making a final decision on criminal investigations.
Many MPs who had faced complaints over their claims appeared to have provided accurate information, the Met said.
In May, the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service set up a joint panel of detectives and lawyers to look at the reports of how some MPs were using the Parliamentary expenses.
This panel was charged with looking at whether a criminal investigation should be launched, rather than actually beginning a full probe.
Scotland Yard had received some formal complaints, including from Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon, formerly a high-profile police officer, and a tax campaign group.
In a statement on Friday morning, Scotland Yard said the assessment panel had met on a number of occasions over the past two weeks and considered "a large number of allegations" about alleged abuse of expenses in both the Lords and Commons.
It said that members of the panel had set out to understand the procedures for claiming expenses from the Fees Office in Parliament, the twin departments managing all submissions from MPs and peers.
In a statement, Scotland Yard said it was highly unlikely MPs would be taken to court, unless there was proof they misled Parliamentary authorities.
But it added that a special panel needed more information in a "small number" of cases before making a final decision on criminal investigations.
Many MPs who had faced complaints over their claims appeared to have provided accurate information, the Met said.
In May, the Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service set up a joint panel of detectives and lawyers to look at the reports of how some MPs were using the Parliamentary expenses.
This panel was charged with looking at whether a criminal investigation should be launched, rather than actually beginning a full probe.
Scotland Yard had received some formal complaints, including from Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon, formerly a high-profile police officer, and a tax campaign group.
In a statement on Friday morning, Scotland Yard said the assessment panel had met on a number of occasions over the past two weeks and considered "a large number of allegations" about alleged abuse of expenses in both the Lords and Commons.
It said that members of the panel had set out to understand the procedures for claiming expenses from the Fees Office in Parliament, the twin departments managing all submissions from MPs and peers.
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