Your Money, Their Friends continued

Auditors-General say former Québec L-G was not entitled to $700K of her entitlements

Funnily, none of the stories that come up on the Google News search mentions that Lise Thibault was appointed by Jean Chrétien. From the National Post website:

Two reports by the Quebec and federal auditors-general confirm that Lise Thibault, Quebec’s former lieutenant-governor, spent $700,000 in public money without proper justification.

The reports call for clearer guidelines and better reporting of the lieutenant-governor’s spending and calls on her to reimburse the money claimed between 1997 and 2007.

The audits found that $239,000 in Ms. Thibault’s expenses could not be linked to her official duties.

While Ms. Thibault received a $480,000 housing allowance and $96,000 for expenses from Quebec, she claimed $129,000 from the federal government for housing and meals already covered by the province.

Of that $129,000, $29,600 was paid in rent to a member of her staff.

As well, she claimed as an income supplement $343,200 in federal money intended to cover her Quebec City expenses.

“The Department of Heritage and the government of Quebec will have to work together to see what and how much can be reimbursed,” said Sheila Fraser, the federal auditor general, in an interview with LCN, a French-language TV network.

The reports also uncovered such irregularities as a $12,000 bill from the provincial air service for a one-day fishing trip in the Gaspe region of Quebec and $24,000 spent in salary and expenses for a bodyguard, including air fare, so Thibault could use her official vehicle while on vacation in the United States.

Ms. Thibault was given a chance to respond to the Quebec auditor-general but she declined.