Ed Byrne had been the minister of natural resources until June 2006, when the first of a series of audits was released. (CBC)

Former Newfoundland and Labrador cabinet minister Ed Byrne, who pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud on Friday, wants to move forward and do something productive again with his life, a close friend says.

In provincial court in St. John's, Byrne — a key figure in Newfoundland and Labrador's legislative spending scandal — pleaded guilty to one charge of fraud over $5,000 and a separate charge of fraud against the government, which was formerly known as influence peddling.

Defence lawyer Bob Simmonds, who said his client will repay more than $100,000 to the government, said he will ask the court for a conditional sentence for Byrne at a hearing in April. If granted, Byrne would avoid jail time.

Former Tory cabinet minister and close friend Bob Aylward said the scandal and the charges that resulted from a Royal Newfoundland Constabulary investigation have been difficult for Byrne and his family.

"His philosophy right now is, let's get it over with," said Aylward, who represented the St. John's-area district of Kilbride before Byrne was elected in 1993.

"This has tangled up his life for the last three years or so, and he wants to get it over with and get on with his life," said Aylward. "He's only a young man, so he [has] lots to do yet in his lifetime, but he can't do it until this is straightened away."

Resigned cabinet post in June 2006

Byrne resigned as natural resources minister in June 2006, when Auditor General John Noseworthy released what would be the first of a series of reports on questionable spending at the house of assembly.

Noseworthy ultimately found that Byrne, who had led the Progressive Conservatives before Danny Williams took over the party's leadership in 2001, had received $467,653 more than his entitlements in tax-free constituency allowances between 1998 and 2006.

Byrne resigned his Kilbride seat by the end of 2006, and has made few public appearances since.

Byrne is the first of five men — including Liberals Wally Andersen and Jim Walsh, New Democrat Randy Collins and suspended civil servant Bill Murray — to have their charges resolved in court.

Aylward said sympathy for Byrne remains high in his district, which had formerly been an agricultural area but is evolving into a series of subdivisions in the southern part of St. John's.

Outside the popular Bidgood's supermarket in the Goulds, resident Scott Williams said people remain loyal to Byrne.

"I didn't know he was guilty until he said he was guilty," Williams said.

"There [are] people who said he was guilty — really, I don't know if he is or not."

'Best MHA we ever had'

The current MHA for Kilbride, Progressive Conservative John Dinn, said constituents still support Byrne, personally.

"He's gone through a lot, right, and his family has gone through a lot over the last two years and that's the concern," Dinn said.

Aylward said Byrne's stellar record as a constituency representative is still well remembered in the area.

"He was the best MHA we ever had, including me," Aylward said with a chuckle.

"Mistakes were made, but he's a good friend of mine, and when you have a friend in trouble, you try to give him a hand."

Byrne, meanwhile, has other issues to deal with.

Later this week, he is expected to appear in provincial court on an impaired driving charge. He pleaded not guilty to that charge last year.

As well, Byrne has hired another lawyer to represent him in a civil suit the Newfoundland and Labrador government has filed to recoup overpayments in constituency allowances.