LIB DEMS REPORTED TO POLICE AFTER ELECTION COURT ROUT

03-04-2008

Birmingham Cabinet Member Ayoub Khan has been reported to the High Court and West Midlands Police after a damning verdict by an election Court yesterday. Labour has questioned whether the councillor – a barrister by profession - is a “fit and proper person” to hold office.

Khan and his Lib Dem colleague Saeed Ahmed alleged that Labour rival Mohammed Afzal had attempted to win votes through intimidation during last year’s poll in the Aston ward.

These were dismissed by Timothy Straker, the Commisioner hearing the case, who upheld Afzal’s election and turned his venom on those making the false accusations.

Straker said that Khan and Aehmed's complaint were “scurrilous and unwarranted”. He questioned why, if they were true, the Cabinet member for Local Services had failed to report it to the Police, and didn't mention it until the 13th day of the hearing.

Aehmed was dismissed as lacking credibility.

“I have formed a very poor impression of the Petitioner as a witness” Straker said.

“In my judgement, having seen him in the witness box and observed him through the trial, I do
not consider that I should believe any of his evidence”.

The commissioner is reporting both Khan and Aehmed to the High Court for the “unwarranted attempt [that] was made by Mr Aehmed and Mr Ayoub Khan to suggest that Mr Afzal was seeking illegitimately to influence the pursuit of the case”.

Labour, not unnaturally, is only too happy to turn the screw, and is reporting both of Liberal Democrats to the Police.

Sir Albert Bore said: “What started out as an attempt to smear Cllr Afzal has been completely turned on its head. Cllr Afzal has been completely vindicated and it is Ayoub Khan and Saeed Aehmed who are rightly in the spotlight.

“Such is the seriousness of the contents of this judgement, the Labour Party has made the immediate decision to refer this matter to the Director of Public Prosecutions and to the West Midlands police.

“The commissioner has made some damning reflections on the credibility of both Ayoub Khan and Saeed Aehmed. The Lib Dems in Birmingham must seriously consider whether Ayoub Khan is a fit and proper person to hold an office in Birmingham's cabinet and as a candidate at the local elections in May this year.”

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