Disgraced politician Derek Mackay claimed almost £10,000 in expenses despite not attending Holyrood during his final year as an MSP.
New figures released by the Scottish Parliament show the former Finance Secretary and MSP for Renfrewshire North and West billed taxpayers a total of £9,786 for 2020/21.
He also claimed £4,406 in February and March last year, immediately after he resigned in a sleaze scandal, making a total of £14,192 in claims while an absentee MSP.
The ex-SNP minister resigned on the eve of the Scottish budget in February 2020 after it was revealed he had been pestering a 16-year-old schoolboy on social media.
He refused to stand down as Renfrewshire North and West MSP and continued to collect his basic £64,470 salary for another 14 months.
He also picked up £11,945 for loss of ministerial office and another automatic resettlement grant of £53,725 after losing his seat, the first £30,000 of which was tax-free.
Most of the claims were in relation to rents for his constituency office and an Edinburgh flat.
Paisley-based Neil Bibby MSP stated Mackay's expenses claims were a "disgrace" he said: "Derek Mackay should never have been in a position to claim these expenses. He should have resigned from the Scottish Parliament long ago. He has not been representing the people of Renfrewshire since he stepped back from frontline politics in disgrace yet he continued claiming taxpayers money.
"The people of Renfrewshire and Scottish taxpayers have been treated as an afterthought."
And Central Scotland Tory Graham Simpson MSP described the claims as “an affront to the taxpayer and the constituents he let down”.
Renfrewshire South MSP Tom Arthur claimed £18,175 in expenses, the majority of this being in rent and travel miles.
Over the last year, SNP George Adam MSP billed the taxpayer £22k in expenses.
Edinburgh hotel accommodation totalled £4,967 whilst rent totalled £9,240.
Scottish Greens West of Scotland MSP Ross Greer claimed just over £24,000. Almost £10k of this was on rent
Overall, MSPs’ expenses rose by almost two per cent to a record £17.3million last year, despite home working.
The total amount paid out was up by more than £300,000 on the previous 12 months.
However, the bulk of the cash – some £13.9m – went on salaries and pensions for MSPs’ staff.
Holyrood introduced remote working during first lockdown, meaning MSPs could take part in debates and vote without being physically present, with travel expenses plummeting from £353,017 to £169,218.
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