LONDON — A former British special-forces officer said Friday that he acted as a middleman to help leak details of British lawmakers’ expenses to a newspaper, sparking a scandal that has ousted the speaker of the House of Commons and ruined the reputations of scores of legislators.
John Wick, now a private security consultant, said he helped release details of 2 million receipts for expenses claims into the public domain by offering the information to British newspapers.
Newspapers have detailed lawmakers’ claims for items such as moat cleaning, floating duck houses, chandelier installation and toilet seats. Many Britons have demanded an early national election, which would allow them to kick out lawmakers who have abused the allowances system.
