BRUM POLITICIANS COURT CONTROVERSY AGAIN

30-10-2007

Birmingham's reputation for political sleaze is about to be revived as an Election Court sits in the city for the second time in two years. Tomorrow's hearing will investigate claims that a Labour councillor smeared a Liberal Democrat rival in May's local council elections.

It's alleged that Mohammed Afzal and his supporters spread false rumours suggesting that another candidate, Saeed Aehmed was being investigated by the Police over election fraud.

In the event, Afzal took the Aston ward by 679 votes but if the case against him is proven, he could lose his seat.

The veteran Labour councillor is no stranger to controversy, having been booted off the Council when an Election Court investigated postal voting fraud at the 2004 poll - although he was later cleared on appeal of any wrongdoing.

Five party colleagues in Aston and Bordesley lost their seats after the Election Commissioner Richard Mawrey QC found evidence that the postal voting system had been rigged "on an industrial scale". He said the level of fraud "would disgrace a banana republic."

As The Stirrer has previously reported, the Liberal Democrats have asked West Midlands Police to re-open their investigation into Afzal's role in the 2004 case.

We also understand that BBC1's Newsnight programme was planning to feature an item about the story last week, but withdrew it following legal pressure.

Afzal says he was innocent in 2004, and he's innocent now. Responding to new of the latest petition, he told us in August, "I'm completely innocent and I'll be fighting this all the way.

"There's plenty I'd like to say, but it will all come out in court. I'm the one who's the victim of the smear campaign". (see link here)