Michigan opens Detroit mayor perjury probe

DETROIT, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Investigators have opened a perjury probe of Detroit Mayor Ken Cockrel Jr. for allegedly making false claims on campaign disclosure forms, an official said.

An unpaid adviser to Wayne County Clerk Cathy Garrett told the Detroit Free Press that Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox could interview city staffers as soon as Tuesday over allegations that Cockrel failed to disclose he owed $42,000 in campaign fees from 2006.

When he filed to run for mayor to replace jailed former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, Cockrel signed a sworn statement that the fees were paid. Cockrel maintains city officials told him he had earned a waiver from the fees when he filed paperwork for his election run, the Free Press said.

Garrett later rejected Cockrel's waiver request, and Cockrel has since paid the fees, the newspaper said.