Charges against former MHA span six years

The charges against a former Newfoundland and Labrador MHA stem from alleged criminal offences that occurred between April 1998 and 2004, according to court documents obtained by the CBC.

At the time,Jim Walsh representedthe district of Mount Scio-Bell Island and after a round of boundary changes Conception Bay East Bell Island

The former Liberal cabinet minister, who was defeated in the 2003 provincial election by Tory Dianne Whalen,has been charged with fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust and fraud against the government.

Walshis accused of overspending his constituency allowance by nearly $300,000. He is also charged with giving "rewards to an official as consideration for assistance in connection with the transaction of business relating to the government "

When contacted by CBC News Monday, Walsh directed questions to his lawyer, who is out of the country on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

Walsh is the second member or former member of the provincial house of assembly to face criminal charges relating to a spending scandal in the Newfoundland and Labrador legislature.

In late July, Labrador MHA Wally Anderson was charged withfraud for allegedly overspending his constituency allowance by $344,000. He has announced he will not be seeking re-election in October.

As part of the conditions of Walsh's release from custody, he is not allowed to contact Bill Murray, the former bureaucrat at the centre of the spending scandal who was the subject of a weekend police search.

The Royal Newfoundland Constabulary had not released many details about the search for Murray, but said he was located at about 3 a.m. Sunday. The RNC had been asking for the public's help with information about Murray's whereabouts and his vehicle.

Murray was suspended from his job as director of financial operations at the provincial legislature in June 2006 after Auditor General John Noseworthy's findings regarding constituency allowance spending were released.

Murray is not facing criminal charges but the provincial government is suing him in the province's Supreme Court for breach of trust. Murray has said he's done nothing illegal.

Walsh was appointed to the Transportation Safety Board in 2004 and has been on paid leave from that position since the spending scandal broke.

Walsh is scheduled to appear in provincial court on Oct. 23.