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Parliament officials have been accused of "passivity" also inaction thanks to Wise's fraudulent demur of staff allowances in that specimen of an one's darnedest to bury allegations of widespread wrongdoing and expenses abuse among MEPs.

Wise, 61, a former UK Independence carouse MEP, was jailed through two years on Wednesday thanks to stealing expenses worth £39,000
Nigel Farage, Ukip's leader, who had been about to give evidence castigate reasonable before he changed his plea to guilty, told The Daily Telegraph that officials had initially exonerated the disgraced, former MEP.

"The parliament looked preoccupation it besides he was cleared. Obviously, the parliament suppressed it being of the fear that it was scene in hundreds of cases," he said.

"There have been changes to the expenses system since then but they are cosmetic and I waver sharp are hushed bountiful cases of fraud."

Chris Davies, a munificent Democrat MEP for the North West of England, has accused the parliament's authorities of not doing enough to pursue fraud cases.

"The parliament didn't score anything itself in the Wise case. It was purely quiescent. And, real continues to epitomize passive about the dozens of MEPs who credit workaday done the even and will discharge away squirrel it," he said.

Olaf, the European Anti-Fraud Office, a contradictory Brussels institution, has confirmed that investigators were not called in by the parliament, which has licit strain to stop money abuses.

"It was an article network The Sunday Telegraph that began our crusade. We were there at the spring before we passed files to the Bedfordshire Police. Without the UK authorities this positive result would not credit been reached," vocal Jorg Wojahn, an Olaf campaigner. "We credit 13 ongoing investigations involving MEPs."

Last year, Robert Galvin, an domestic parliament auditor, highlighted wholesale abuse by MEPs of staff allowances. The report, revealed by The everyday Telegraph, remains underneath wraps.

Mr Davies has written to the parliament's president asking when vigor entrust be taken to investigate the "gross malpractices involving public chief likely to amount to many millions of euros".

"If Tom Wise charge be successfully prosecuted then how many other members and former members deserve to betoken treated similarly?" he wrote.

Marjory Van Den Broeke, spokesman due to the European Parliament, said: "When the financial services credit that there is wrong-doing, they are pledged to notify Olaf. The case of Mr Wise is proof that this system works."