A Scottish Labour MP is under pressure to account for the £2326 worth of publicly-funded joinery carried out by his local publican.
Jim Devine MP's office expenses budget was used to claim the cash for his friend Tony Moran, who was employed to fit 66 metres of shelving.
However, when the Sunday Herald visited Mr Devine's constituency office on Friday, not a single shelf was seen on the wall. A senior Labour source said that the party would look "carefully" at any irregular claims.
Last week, The Herald's sister newspaper revealed how Mr Devine clawed back £2157 from the taxpayer for rewiring his second home in London. However, the invoice supporting the work had an invalid VAT number and a false address.
Mr Devine said initially that the electrician was recommended by an unnamed individual in a London pub called The Prince of Wales. He also said the tradesman put the invoice "under the door" of his Kennington Road flat.
His explanation raised questions over the identity of the electrician, as well as who had put him in touch with the handyman. But on Wednesday, Mr Devine said the electrician may even have died.
"Sadly, it looks as if the electrician passed away last year but we are working to find out the details," he said. "What it sounds like is the guy has been trying to avoid paying the proper tax. That is what it looks like happened here, and that's hardly my fault."
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