HALIFAX – The trial of a Nova Scotia politician charged in the province’s constituency spending scandal focused Tuesday on the training members of the legislature received on bookkeeping — or the lack thereof — and the clarity of internal financial rules.

Trevor Zinck, an Independent member of the legislature who used to sit as a member of the governing NDP, was charged in 2011 with theft over $5,000, fraud over $5,000 and breach of trust.

As his trial entered its second day, defence lawyer Lyle Howe continued his detailed cross examination of Jocelyn Scallion, a former director of administration for the Office of the Speaker.

Scallion told Nova Scotia Supreme Court that aside from an orientation session that briefly dealt with how to file expense claims, she was unaware of any formal training offered to new members on how to manage their finances.

When asked if she thought that was a problem, Scallion said: “No. I didn’t determine the rules.”

In an agreed statement of facts submitted Monday, Zinck admitted the Speaker’s Office reimbursed him for $10,000 in expense claims he filed in 2008 and 2009 even though he did not pay the suppliers listed in the claims.

Earlier in the trial, Howe suggested the expense claim rules were confusing, particularly when it came to the time limits applied to paying bills and the requirements for receipts and invoices.

On Tuesday, Howe repeatedly asked Scallion about expense claims Zinck filed that included duplicate cheques and letters from community groups seeking funding in exchange for sponsorship advertising.

Scallion told the court the duplicate cheques and letters supplied by Zinck qualified as receipts and invoices even though neither document provided actual proof of payment.

“To me, that meant that the member did pay that,” she testified.

Scallion also confirmed she never contacted Zinck or the suppliers to determine whether payments were actually made.

“There was no need to,” she said. “He provided sufficient documentation for the claims.”

The rules surrounding expense claims for Nova Scotia politicians have since been changed, but Scallion said she couldn’t comment on that because she retired before the regulations were tightened.

The former administrator recalled that Zinck was pleasant to deal with, prompt when filing his claims and never gave her office any problems.

Zinck was one of four politicians charged in February 2011 after an investigation by the province’s auditor general led to an RCMP investigation. Zink is the only one of the four who still sits in the legislature. The others have already been sentenced after pleading guilty to a variety of charges.

Outside the Halifax courtroom, Zinck thanked constituents from Dartmouth North who had showed up to support him.

“I’ve very humbled by the amount of support I’ve been given,” he said. “I’m looking forward to this progressing and getting through next week. I’m very happy with my legal representation … I’m very confident.”