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OTTAWA — The satellite office controversy finally landed Friday in Federal Court as the New Democrats wrestle with an issue that has been sapping the party’s political batteries since long before Tom Mulcair’s bid to become prime minister.

The party — already some $5 million in debt following the longest election campaign in modern Canadian history — is using its own funds to fight a decision made in 2014 by the secretive all-party Commons committee that polices parliamentary spending.

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The board of internal economy ordered 68 NDP MPs — many of whom went down to defeat last October — to repay $2.7 million in parliamentary funds that went towards office operations in Montreal, Toronto and Quebec City.

The NDP has long denied that it used parliamentary funds for non-parliamentary purposes.

“The concern is, were taxpayers’ money (meant) for parliamentary funds used for non-parliamentary purposes, and I have asked people, ‘Where was the evidence?”‘ NDP House leader Peter Julian said in an interview.