A political trust controlled by Liberal Democrat activist gave former Scotland secretary Alistair Carmichael £34,000 as he struggles to pay off an enormous legal bill from fighting an attempt to throw him out of parliament.
The former secretary lost a bid to have his legal bills paid after a challenge to his election failed. Under the Representation of the People Act 1983, four constituents claimed that he misled voters over a leaked memo before the election. In December, the judges ruled that it has not been proven beyond reasonable doubt that he had committed illegal practice. BBC News reported that Carmichael's expenses have reached an estimated £150,000.
On Monday, Lord Matthews and Lady Paton ruled that both sides had to meet their own legal cost. According to The Guardian, the four constituents have successfully paid their legal bills with an estimated amount of £185,000, and after a fundraising which was posted online, they raised about £210,000. Meanwhile, Carmichael went for funding and generated £14,000, leaving him footing the remainder of the legal bills, or having to find other alternative benefactors.
Carmichael faced a rare election court case after approving the leak of a Scotland Office memo to the Telegram that recorded allegations of first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, secretly wanting David Cameron to be the victor of the 2015 general election. The electoral court heard that Carmichael was not able to tell the Cabinet Office leak inquiry or senior members of his own party about his role in the leak, or even answer questions coming from the press, reports Buzzfeed.
The constituents, solid supporters of the Scottish independence, said Carmichael lied about leaking a memo designed to undermine the SNP leader in the run-up to the general election back in 2015. Ultimately, Carmichael won the case and preserved his seat because it was not clear whether or not he was guilty of any illegal practice. But he was left with an enormous bill after the justices concluded that he had still lied and therefore could not expect to make the individuals who brought the case pay his legal bills.
