KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, LouisianaJindal can't pay ethics fine until board takes action on charges
Reported by Associated Press
Governor Bobby Jindal cannot quickly pay a fine to the state ethics board and end an investigation into charges he violated the state's campaign finance disclosure laws.
Instead, a top staffer with the ethics board says there's a process that typically takes at least two months or longer to acknowledge a violation and get a fine assessed for the charges.
Kathleen Allen, a lawyer for the board, said Friday that Jindal can't pay a $2,500 fine until his campaign reaches a settlement agreement with the board and the board votes to approve that agreement.
On Thursday, a spokeswoman for the governor said Jindal would pay the fine as quickly as possible.
The Louisiana Board of Ethics is looking into whether Jindal violated campaign finance laws for late disclosure of more than $118,000 in campaign aid he received from the state Republican Party when he was running for governor last year.
The board has scheduled a public hearing on the matter for July 10.
