Following the allegations on Luftur Rahman of buying votes, further accusations have risen regarding hoax votes.
Postal ballot papers for the general election have been sent out to a block of flats in Tower Hamlets which has been a building site for months.
The block of flats has 17 voters registered to it and none of the registered voters live there. Five of the names appeared on the council's list for having applied for postal votes, even though the records showed that only three ballot paper were sent out. It is still unknown whether the ballot paper had been returned.
The property is owned by Tower Hamlets council. It has been completely boarded up, is surrounded by hoardings and does not have any habitants. However, letters can still be delivered there. It is said that none of the people who had supposedly applied for the votes live at the block of flats and at least one is said to be dead.
The candidate for the Red Flag Anti Corruption party, Rene Mugenzi said, “I am very shocked that after the devastating judgment in the election case that fraudulent votes continue to be registered under our noses.”
The leader of the Conservative group, Peter Golds stated, “There is no way this could have been done innocently. You have to apply separately for each election, put your address on the form and certify that you live at the property, but this block has been a construction site for a while.”
Last month, Tower Hamlets’ mayor, Lutfur Rahman, was disqualified from office for five years after a judge found him guilty of lying about his opponent, buying votes with council grants and registering “ghost voters” – fake voters at places where they did not live. However, there is no evidence connecting the new fraud to Mr Rahman.
Rahman was accused of “corrupt and illegal practices”. He was originally the Labour council leader and was expelled from the party after his close links with an Islamic extremist group, the Islamic Forum of Europe was revealed.
Rahman was re-elected by 3,500 votes in May 2014, but was removed from office after the judge ruled that he had “driven a coach and horses” through electoral law.
Following the Election Court judgement, the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles has stated, "Given the independent Election Court's clear findings of corruption in the mayoral administration, there is a clear need for stronger checks and balances in the run up to the mayoral by-election, especially given many of the associates of the tainted mayor remain in place. The Commissioners have identified a series of concerns about the ongoing running of the council, including the destruction of documents. We will take whatever action is necessary to ensure a free and fair election and clean up this rotten administration."
