Jailed former MP pleads guilty to deception charges
A former MP already behind bars over theft convictions could face more time in prison after admitting to falsely claiming a parliamentary allowance.
A jailed former MP has pleaded guilty to deception charges for falsely claiming a parliamentary allowance.
Former Mount Gambier MP Troy Bell appeared in Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday on 52 charges of deception.
It was alleged he collected more than $34,000 between 2015 and 2020 by deceiving SA parliamentary staff – who approved the payment of the country members allowance – by falsely claiming it.
The allowance is paid to country MPs when they need to stay in Adelaide for parliamentary and other business.
Bell pleaded guilty to 15 of the charges, totalling $21,177, with the remaining charges dropped.
He had previously strongly denied the charges.
The court will hear sentencing submissions on the deception charges, which each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, on December 11.
In September 2024, a South Australian District Court jury found Bell guilty of 20 counts of theft and five aggravated counts of dishonest dealings for crimes committed between 2009 and 2013.
He was sentenced to five years’ jail in October 2025 for stealing $435,000 of public money that was meant to be spent on disadvantaged school students.
The court heard he had spent the money on home renovations and credit card debts.
Judge Rauf Soulio said at the time Bell had not accepted responsibility for his offending, despite the overwhelming evidence against him.
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Bell, who resigned from the Liberal Party after he was charged in 2017, was re-elected to his seat as an independent in 2018.
He stepped down from parliament after losing an appeal in August 2025.
Bell is eligible for parole on the theft and dishonest dealings convictions in April 2028.
-with AAP
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