Former Liberal Sen. Mac Harb resigns his seat after expense scandal

OTTAWA – Mac Harb, a veteran Liberal politician who has been embroiled in a battle over his Senate expenses for months, has resigned from the upper chamber.

Harb, who earlier left the Liberal party to sit as an independent, has also dropped a lawsuit he filed in the fight, saying he’ll repay all his questioned living and expense claims.

He says he has sent the Senate a cheque for $189,166.17, which brings his total reimbursement to $231,649.07.

The 59-year-old politician leaves the Senate with just over 15 years left in a term that would have taken him to age 75.

He was appointed to the upper chamber by Jean Chretien in 2003 after 15 years as an MP.

Harb continues to defend himself in the expense battle, with his lawyer saying a key Deloitte audit did not find Harb had violated any rules, but rather found the rules themselves weren’t clear.