Tower Hamlets electoral fraud inquiry ends with no charges, police announce

Year-long £1.7m probe examined thousands of documents

(AFP/Getty)

Scotland Yard has said there is not enough evidence to prosecute anyone with election fraud offences following a £1.7m police inquiry into mayoral polls in Tower Hamlets, northeast London.

Former mayor Luftur Rahman was forced to step down after an election court found him guilty of a string of corrupt and illegal practices in May 2017, but no criminal charges have followed.

A fresh investigation into the voided mayoral election came amid concern that police were failing to prosecute what the court deemed corrupt.

The Metropolitan Police (MPS) said on Friday the year-long probe into the had unearthed “prima facie evidence” of a serious offence “not directly linked” to election fraud.

“Such is the nature of the offence, the City of London Police has agreed to investigate on behalf of the MPS,” the force said in the statement.

But, it said, the probe “has not identified sufficient additional evidence or investigative opportunities to enable the Met to request the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to consider the charging of any individual in relation to offences of electoral fraud and malpractice arising from the 2014 mayoral election”.

Some 20 detectives and police staff examined evidence relating to 169 separate allegations plus the newly-identified offence, trawling through 2,450 documents and statements, 28 days of election court transcripts and “several thousand pages of digital material”.

Prosecutors were handed the force’s findings, but they advised it was “very unlikely that the Code for Crown Prosecutors test would ever be passed in respect of the potential offences that had been identified”.

Commander Stuart Cundy, who oversaw the probe, said: “I know some will remain concerned as to why the criminal investigation has not led to persons being convicted of a criminal offence.”

But, he said, “our re-investigation has robustly considered all the evidence that is available”.

“The Met is absolutely committed to effectively investigating criminal allegations of electoral fraud and malpractice, which is why despite the significant operational challenges facing the MPS we have thoroughly re-investigated all matters relating to the 2014 mayoral election in Tower Hamlets.”

Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) inspected the Met’s investigation, publishing four interim assurance reports.

Press Association contributed to this report