BBC denies paying for `calls to sex lines from Moscow office'

The BBC was challenged yesterday to provide details of "flexible and creative" expense claims filed by two of its foreign correspondents which allegedly included the purchase of a lawn mower for a fifth-floor flat and the use of satellite-link equ ipmentin Moscow to call telephone sex lines.

Michael Fabricant, a Conservative MP and member of the National Heritage select committee, tabled an Early Day Motion expressing concern at "persistent stories" of one journalist's six-figure expense claims.

The EDM said these included: "i) the cost of air freighting grand pianos from South Africa to Europe, ii) the purchase of a lawn mower for a fifth-floor apartment, iii) the apparent acquisition of fax paper documented on a Harrods invoice for over £500, iv) the provision of office furniture . . . and v) the expense of paying for the education of his children at private schools even when the journalist was based back in Britain."

While "flexible and creative" expenses claims were "not unusual for the industry and reflect the difficult conditions in which many journalists have to work", Mr Fabricant said in this case the allegations, if true, represented "an unacceptable burden onthe licence payer and reflect badly on the financial controls and auditing".

The EDM seeks "urgent reassurance" as to why Graham Leach, former South Africa and Europe correspondent, resigned last month.

In a second EDM, the MP seeks reassurance that "it is not the case that the satellite-link equipment at the BBC's news centre in Moscow was used by a BBC Moscow correspondent to make unauthorised international telephone calls amounting to well into five figures . . . including calls to United Kingdom sex lines and to hear football commentaries."

Information was also requested about the transfer of Kevin Connolly, a former BBC Moscow correspondent, now based in Paris.

Mr Fabricant said that he was not trying to impugn the integrity of the journalists, but to question the ability of the BBC to control its costs.

A BBC spokesman said last night: "It's all rubbish. All these allegations have doing the rounds since last December. We have all the specifics put to us. They were untrue then, they are untrue now." He added that Mr Connolly now worked at the BBC's Parisbureau and that Mr Leach had resigned for "personal reasons".

n Channel 4 has failed to free itself from the funding formula under which it will pay more than £55m to the ITV companies this year. Stephen Dorrell, Secretary of State for National Heritage, said yesterday that Channel 4 had not demonstrated "sufficient justification" for a change in the formula.