Ashley Mote | |
|---|---|
| Member of the European Parliament for South East England | |
| In office 10 June 2004 – 4 June 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Roy Perry |
| Succeeded by | Marta Andreasen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 25 January 1936 London, England |
| Died | 30 March 2020 (aged 84) |
| Political party | Independent |
| Other political affiliations | UK Independence Party (until July 2004)[1] |
Ashley Mote (25 January 1936 – 30 March 2020) was a British politician who was a member of the European Parliament (MEP) for South East England from 2004 to 2009. Elected representing the UK Independence Party, he became a non-inscrit one month into his term after UKIP withdrew the whip from him due to investigation into his expenses.
A vociferous critic of fraud in the European Institutions, he himself was convicted of benefit fraud in 2007 for which he served a nine-month prison sentence and was described by the trial judge as "a truly dishonest man". The scandal ignited a debate as to how an MEP could receive a prison sentence, yet keep his seat in the European Parliament. In 2015, Mote was jailed for a further five years for fraudulently claiming nearly £500,000 in European Parliament expenses.[2]