By James Simons-
Swansea East MP Carolyn Harris, has told a court that she never authorised a payrise for her office manager Jenny Lee Clark. The MP for Swansea East told Cardiff Crown Court she was not aware of a form increasing Jenny Lee Clarke’s annual pay from £37,000 to £39,000.
Clarke, 42, stands accused of forging Mrs Harris’s signature on the form, which was submitted to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), in August 2015.
Cardiff Crown Court also heard that the form reduced Clarke’s weekly hours from 40 to 37.5.When Ipsa sent an email to Mrs Harris confirming the change, Clarke is said to have accessed the MP’s account and replied: “Yes, this is correct.”
Mrs Harris said in a long evidence on Monday afternoon, that she had never seen either email and had not spoken to Clarke about a payrise.She told the jury of eight men and four women that she only became aware of the change when a colleague sent her the staff reports for her office in January 2016.
“It was the August payment which alerted me to it because it was such a dramatic uplift,” Mrs Harris said.
“I couldn’t understand why it was [the amount]. At that point it looked like Ms Clarke had given herself a payrise.
“I knew nothing of it. It was never discussed.”
Mrs Harris said she had previously agreed that Clarke could drop her hours from 40 to 37.5 per week, as this was in line with other staff members.
The MP later contacted Ipsa and the human resources department at the House of Commons. The court heard the email sent from Ipsa to confirm the change of Clarke’s contract was marked: “FAO MP only” and specified that it was confidential.A jury of eight men and four women was told the alleged offences came to light after Ms Clarke was demoted because one of her duties, reconciling Mrs Harris’ parliamentary credit card had not been done, leading to it being suspended by Ipsa.
The court heard in January 2016, he accessed the staff reports and sent them to Mrs Harris, who replied: “Looks like Jen gave herself a pay rise”.
The form submitted by Ms Clarke was retrieved, showing the increase of salary and decrease in hours to be applied from July 2015.
It was signed by Mrs Harris and dated 8 August that year, jurors were told.
“Carolyn Harris says she hadn’t seen this form before – she hadn’t seen it, she hadn’t signed it, that isn’t her signature,” prosecutor Jim Davis told the jury. Ms Clarke had admitted during a police interview that she signed the form in Mrs Harris’ name.
“But she says she did so with Carolyn Harris’ knowledge and approval,” he added.
Mr Davis told the jury: “We say Jenny Clarke made the changes. She forged Carolyn Harris’s signature on the form.
“She then, we say, intercepted the email from pay roll to Carolyn Harris and replied to it herself.” The allegation in the fraud trial is very disturbing and runs the risk of ruining Ms Clarke’s future prospects if found guilty.
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