A London court sentenced a former government minister to 16 months in prison on Friday over the largest bogus claim exposed in Britain's lawmaker expenses scandal.

Elliot Morley pleaded guilty last month to two charges of false accounting over bills worth 32,000 pounds (nearly $52,000).

The 58-year-old former Labour Party politician claimed for mortgage payments on a loan that had already been paid off.

Justice John Saunders told Southwark Crown Court that Morley was guilty of "blatant dishonesty" and had "thrown away his good name and character."

In his verdict, Saunders said he was satisfied that "the excessive claims were made deliberately and are not explicable even in part by oversight."

The sentencing follows the 2009 disclosure of previously secret expense files that revealed how politicians had billed the public for items including swank second homes and pornographic movies.

Morley is the first former minister to be jailed for fiddling his expenses; three other former lawmakers received terms ranging from 12 to 18 months.

The case ended a political career spanning nearly 20 years. Morley, an environment minister in Tony Blair's government, chose not to run again for Parliament last year.

A top Pakistani court has ruled that President Asif Ali Zardari must relinquish his position as chief of the country's ruling party.

The Lahore High Court ruled on Thursday on a petition filed by a lawyer who had argued that Pakistan's constitution prohibits the president to also head a political party.

A spokeswoman for Zardari says she had not seen the ruling and declined comment.

It's unclear what impact the ruling will have, but it will likely to put Zardari on the defensive. His Pakistan's People's Party is seen as very unpopular and has struggled to keep its ruling coalition intact.

Zardari could ignore the ruling or appeal it, which could stretch out the proceedings for many more months.

An Austrian court on Monday approved the extradition of former Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader to his homeland, where he is suspected of corruption while in office, but his lawyer immediately announced an appeal.

Austrian police detained Sanader on Dec. 10 after Croatian authorities issued an international arrest warrant for him, and he has been jailed in Salzburg ever since.

During a closed-door session Monday in Salzburg, a judge ruled that Sanader's extradition was permissible, Salzburg Court president Hans Rathgeb told The Associated Press. However, the 57-year-old will remain in Austrian custody until a court in Linz decides to either grant or reject the extradition appeal, he added.

Sanader, who was in power for six years until he abruptly resigned on July 1, 2009, has proclaimed his innocence in any abuse of office claims. He alleges the charges against him are politically motivated and designed to keep him from returning to high office.

Sanader's lawyer, Werner Suppan, claimed his client would not receive a fair trial in Croatia, the Austria Press Agency reported.