Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s election runs into murky waters as scrutiny reveals ‘fraud’

Tower Hamlets Mayor Lutfur Rahman’s election has run into murky waters with a High Court recount of votes cast in his favour revealing what is being described as “significant irregularities”.

The recount, overseen by a judge, was said to have been done under strict secrecy last week, reports Britain’s The Telegraph.

The scrutiny was undertaken after the election result was legally challenged following widespread allegations of irregularities, intimidation and fraud, Andrew Gilligan of the paper said.

Communities Secretary Eric Pickles has been quoted to have described Rahman as a “medieval monarch” steeped in a “culture of cronyism”. He had earlier described Tower Hamlets as a “rotten borough”.

The scrutiny of votes cast in Rahman’s favour done last week by court officials has now revealed irregularities that match the allegations.

“There was a significant number of Mr Rahman’s bundles where there were fewer than 50 votes for him in the bundle, or votes for other candidates in the bundle,” the newspaper quotes an official in the know as saying.

“There was also a significant number of ballot papers where a vote for John Biggs [Mr Rahman’s Labour opponent] had been crossed out and a vote for Rahman written in. Almost all the irregularities favoured Rahman,” the official said.

Biggs had lost to Rahman in July by 3,250 votes but had alleged ballot manipulation, especially the postal ones, claiming there were reasons for suspicion about their integrity.

A cross-party group of six Tower Hamlets voters have alleged intimidation and fraudulent voting.

They say that voting stations were besieged by Rahman’s supporters and many voters, especially women, were “accompanied” to the polling booths and “directed” how to cast their ballot.

What is more, the allegation is that many had found their votes had already been cast when they reached the booth.

The counting of the votes in May had seen the fortunes of candidates swing.

Sanu Miah, a Labour council candidate in the St Peter’s ward, emerged on top after the first count with 2,270 votes.

But Rahman demanded a recount and the ballots were kept overnight at the Mulberry Palace, the Tower Hamlet headquarters.

In the following day’s recount Miah, to his dismay, slipped from the first place to the fifth – his vote count slashed by 1,722.

Miah alleges the ballot box seal had been “tampered with and opened” and that “something took place with the ballot papers whilst they were held at Mulberry Place”, says the report.

The ballot paper scrutiny is the first step in the case. It is expected to reach the stage of a full trial in January with judge Richard Mawrey QC having the power to revoke the election result and dismiss Rahman from office.

Matters are getting even more difficult for the beleaguered Mayor with the petitioners claiming 11 of their witnesses have been intimidated or threatened.

Although there has been no suggestion yet of Rahman’s involvement in them, he is said to have tried to stall the case.

Rahman was expelled from the Labour Party in 2010 following a Sunday Telegraph report on his close links with the IFE, an Islamic extremist group, but went on to win the election as an independent candidate.

Gilligan is the London Editor of the Sunday Telegraph.

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