Thanks for that info Yuyitsu , although I remain shocked that even some people who have been in jail for up to a year can run for election.

<<although I remain shocked that even some people who have been in jail for up to a year can run for election.>>

And even over a year, once they completed their term.

But what's the problem with that?

If you don't want someone who has been in jail to represent you, then just don't vote for them. This information should be publicly available and you can rely on the other candidates to publish it.

Looking at most current politicians (those who have not yet been caught), I think that prisoners could do a better job!

Better a competent & experienced crook than an incompetent & inexperienced do-gooder.

Unfortunately politicians are always incompetent crooks.

Cheers,

Tony

Yuyutsu,

I'm not up on the finer points of law, so would you clarify something for me please.

If an elected member is found to have misused funds [i.e. travel funds or paying for family and friends on supposedly parliamentary business], and pays that amount back before any further proceedings are brought against him/her, does that mean there will be no further repercussions against them - even if they knowingly did this in the hope it would be overlooked?

In my mind, paying back an amount which has been used for anything other than parliamentary business should not be sufficient reason for the person to not be charged with the offence just because they've been caught out.

Dear Worldwatcher,

Perhaps we would like it to be different, but as it stands, a politician just like any other citizen is considered innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.

Ethically you are very right, such an elected member should be charged despite returning the money. In practice however, the public prosecutor is not obliged to actually charge anyone, especially if there is no "public interest" in that charge. The member may claim that they made an honest mistake and the prosecutor may decide to formally believe the member, end of story.