Former N.L. politician Andersen sentenced

Former Newfoundland and Labrador MHA Wally Andersen was sentenced Friday in Supreme Court to 15 months in jail for forgery and nine monthson breach of trust.

He will serve the sentences concurrently,meaning that, in effect, he has been sentenced to 15 months in jail.

The former Labrador MHA is one of four provincial politicians charged after the province's auditor general revealed in 2006 that politicians were overspending their constituency allowances.

In an agreed statement of facts, Andersen admitted he took almost $90,000 more in public money than he was entitled to.

Judge Wayne Dymond sentenced Andersen Friday.

Crown lawyer Frances Knickle was seeking a longer sentence but said Dymond's decision was fair.

"We can't quibble with his decision. He's an experienced judge. He looked at the aggravating and mitigating factors," saidKnickle.

Crown sought2 years less a day

The Crown was seeking a jail term similar to the sentence of two years less a day thatformer conservative MHA and Conservative cabinet minister Ed Byrne received.

Byrne admitted to bribing a public official and using the money for his personal gain.

Andersen pleaded guilty to forgery, a less serious offence, and says he used the money to help other people.

Dymondsaidin his decision that this sentence may not satisfy the public but it does satisfy the law.

He said it is long enough to deter other public officials fromdoing what Andersen did but short enough that it won'tdestroy Andersen's chance forrehabilitation.

Four politicians charged

Reports filed by N.L. Auditor General John Noseworthy in 2006 found four politicians received excess payments from their constituency allowances, which are intended to be used to pay for offices, travel, promotional items and other expenses incurred dealing with constituents.

After police began an investigation, the four politicians, representing all three N.L. political parties, were charged in connection with misspending millions of public dollars.

Andersen pleaded guilty Sept. 22, making him the third politician in the province's spending scandal to do so. He pleaded guilty to charges of uttering forged documents and breach of trust by a public officer.

Byrne was sentenced to a jail term of two years less a day in April after he admitted to forging documents and faking signatures while stealing more than $117,000 through his tax-free constituency allowances.

Former New Democrat MHA Randy Collins also pleaded guilty to two fraud charges when he appeared in court last week. He'll be sentenced in December.

Jim Walsh, a former tourism minister, is charged with fraud over $5,000, breach of trust and fraud on the government, a charge formerly known as influence peddling. He is accused of overspending his constituency allowance by nearly $160,000 over five years.