Detroit official charged city pension fund $20,000 for trip to conference in Dubai

Detroit official bills Dubai trip to pension plan

DETROIT — Records show a Detroit official charged the city’s police and firefighters pension plan more than $20,000 for a trip to the Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai.

The Detroit Free Press says city councilwoman Barbara-Rose Collins booked a nearly $10,000 business-class plane ticket to attend a pension conference in Dubai last fall. She is a trustee of the pension fund.

She also paid $6,840 to register, almost $3,000 for a hotel stay and $485 for a car and driver.

Collins says her chief of staff is responsible for the costly ticket. She agrees “that’s a lot of money” and says she intends to pay better attention in the future.

Information from: Detroit Free Press, www.freep.com