Oswaldt is Senate's Biggest Spender

Senate Rotunda, Coruscant — Figures released today by the Senate Budget Office show that Johannes Oswaldt, of Eriadu, has costlier travel expenses than any other Senator. Borert Harbright, of Ruan, was second, followed by Chief of State Ponc Gavrisom. The Senate Budget Office maintains records of Senate expenses charged to the taxpayer and publishes them annually.

Senator Oswaldt is known to travel at all times in a Dreadnaught-class heavy cruiser and, according to the expense report, he has listed the ship's fuel and consumables, as well as the salaries of its crew of 16,000, as travel expenses. The Coruscant Journal has learned that the Senator's expenses were brought to the attention to the Senate Corruption Panel some months ago, but the Panel's chair, Senator Cul'utaan Forte of Ryloth, did not to investigate despite the recommendations of other members of the Panel to do so.

Senator Forte and Senator Oswaldt were unavailable for comment.

Senator Harbright, it was discovered, has loaned his shuttle to colleagues, friends, and family members on numerous occasions and listed these as official travel expenses. Harbright is also known to travel frequently both from Ruan to Coruscant and also to distant resort worlds such as Spira and Alakatha under the guise of Senate business. Here too, the Senate Corruption Panel reportedly chose not to investigate.

Ponc Gavrisom's travel expenses, meanwhile, are consistent with prior Chiefs of State Leia Organa Solo and Mon Mothma. The Senators with the lowest travel expenses, according to the Senate Budget Office's records, were Tremaine Fowlkes of Mowgle, who travels in a shuttle with two fighter/bomber escorts, and Lomen Ryuun, whose world of Druckenwell pays all of the Senator's expenses. Eli Fitzgerald, the former Senator of Ralltiir who was known to travel in a single shuttle without escort, was also near the bottom of the list.