SA election 2018: Mt Gambier MP Troy Bell will answer theft and dishonesty charges after state election

MT GAMBIER MP Troy Bell will not have to answer charges of dishonestly dealing with documents and theft before the state election.

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MT GAMBIER MP Troy Bell will not have to answer charges of theft and dishonestly dealing with documents before the state election.

Mr Bell, who was excused from attending the Mt Gambier Magistrates Court on Monday, will now answer the charges on April 16, a month after the election.

He has been charged with 26 counts of dishonestly dealing with documents and theft of $2m between 2008 and 2013, following an ICAC probe. The charges relate to an education centre he helped established.

His lawyer Heidi Hancock yesterday requested an adjournment of eight weeks to allow for consideration of the “voluminous nature” of documents provided by the DPP.

Ms Hancock said the majority of documents had been provided, however there were a “few still outstanding”, which she said would be delivered within the next three weeks.

Magistrate Teresa Anderson continued Mr Bell’s bail.

Mr Bell resigned from the Liberal Party in the wake of the allegations, and has continued to serve as an independent.

The Liberal Party has since preselected Craig Marsh as his replacement.

Mr Bell has previously stated he would “absolutely continue to maintain” his innocence.

With less than a month to go until the State Election, a ReachTEL poll by the Australian Forest Products Association last week showed Mr Bell polling 36.3 per cent of the primary vote in Mt Gambier, ahead of Liberal candidate Craig Marsh on 28.5 per cent.