Dauphin County President Judge Richard Lewis was correct in rejecting a request by former state Rep. Mike Veon to dismiss criminal charges against him and his top aide.

By keeping the criminal case against Veon alive, Judge Lewis helped ensure that the public will learn how Veon operated the Beaver Initiative for Growth (BIG), a nonprofit organization he created and controlled. And in learning how Veon operated BIG, the public also will learn how $10 million in state grants was spent.

Preliminary reports suggest that the $10 million in taxpayer funds did very little to spur economic development in Beaver County, BIG's purported mission. Instead, according to a report from state investigators, most of the money was absorbed by salaries, bonuses, rent for three offices not used by BIG and consulting fees to organizations that, in many cases, were campaign contributors to Veon and other Democrats. The report also revealed that BIG also contracted with a consulting firm that had hired Veon's brother.

The charges against Veon and Annamarie Perretta-Rosepink were dismissed May 21 by a district judge, but the state attorney general's office refiled the charges, arguing that the district judge used the wrong standard in evaluating the charges.

Given the broad suspicions over how money was spent by BIG — and who benefitted — it was stunning that anyone, especially a member of the courts, could conclude that the case should not go forward. Luckily, Judge Lewis rejected the earlier legal decision. And, agreeing to a request from the attorney general's office, he assigned the case to a different district judge.

Veon's use of BIG looks similar to some of the abuses of a nonprofit with close ties to a state lawmaker revealed in the federal corruption case against former state Sen. Vincent Fumo. Earlier this year, a jury found the once-powerful Philadelphia Democrat guilty on more than 100 counts of misuse of state funds and the assets of a nonprofit run by a former Fumo aide.

Evidence presented in the Fumo case revealed that much of his misuse of state funds or his pet nonprofit's assets was designed to financially benefit Fumo.

Published reports involving Veon and his control of BIG suggest that most questionable spending at the nonprofit organization was intended to benefit Veon politically and to reward his political supporters.

With Judge Lewis keeping the case alive, taxpayers can look forward to evidence and testimony that will explain how money flowed into and out of now-closed BIG and, most importantly, who benefited.

A date for the preliminary hearing for Veon and Perretta-Rosepink related to alleged misuse of funds at BIG has not been set.

Veon and 11 others associated with the House Democratic caucus also are awaiting trial in a separate corruption case. Veon faces 59 theft, conspiracy and conflict of interest charges related to the Bonsugate case, involving year-end bonuses for campaign work paid by House Democrats and others using taxpayer dollars, which is illegal.

Reports of questionable spending at BIG deserve a public accounting. The action by Judge Lewis ensures that taxpayers will learn how a lawmaker spent millions in public funds. And as the Fumo case proved, following the money paints a truer picture than any public statement or claim to be working for the people.