May 17, 2010

Messenger threatens legal action over travel rort allegations

http://www.abc.net.au

Mr  Messenger says documentation shows all his trips were for official LNP  business.

Mr Messenger says documentation shows all
his trips were for official LNP business.

Queensland independent MP Rob Messenger says he may take legal action over allegations he used his travel allowance for personal reasons.

Mr Messenger, the Member for Burnett, quit the Liberal National Party (LNP) earlier this month, along with the Member for Beaudesert, Aidan McLindon, to run as independents.

Mr Messenger has since strongly denied that some of the travel was personal, saying documentation shows all his trips were for official LNP business.

He says he plans to make a statement to Parliament this week about the controversy and why he left the LNP.

Mr Messenger has also questioned how the party could have been investigating him without his knowledge.

"I am thinking about legal action because I believe there've been defamatory comments made in media articles about my travel and also inaccurate and unbalanced reporting," he said.

"Also this extraordinary revelation that there have been secret investigations being carried out."