Mayor accrued $117K as estate executor

The mayor of Halifax accumulated nearly $117,000 in expenses as former executor of the estate of Mary Thibeault, a family friend who died in 2004. Peter Kelly filed the inventory for the estate on Wednesday.

He was recently removed as executor of the estate at the request of six of the beneficiaries.

According to Kelly's final accounting Thibeault's estate was worth nearly $700,000, but the 15 beneficiaries could receive less than that.

Kelly said the estate encouraged his spending as executor. Of the $117,000 about $4,000 worth was for accounting fees and over $30,000 in lawyers' bills.

There is also $4,000 in interest and late filing penalties owed to the Canada Revenue Agency.

In his filing Kelly noted that he put $145,000 into the estate to reimburse funds that were removed but weren't mentioned in Kelly's original accounting.

The expenses are subject to an assessment by the province's probate court. The beneficiaries can also challenge the expenses they believe were unnecessary.

Beneficiaries had petitioned the province's probate court to have him removed. In the affidavit filed in June, they detailed their concerns about Kelly's accounting of the estate and his continued procrastination.

In the list of reasons why they want Kelly removed, they itemize numerous cheques to Kelly and his son, together worth about $180,000.

Kelly agreed to step down as executor of the estatelast month.