Andrew Gilligan had the first report (the detail of which is unconfirmed). One of Lutfur Rahman’s councillors is in a spot of bother.
Here’s some confirmed detail. A statement from Tower Hamlets council names the councillor as Shelina Akhtar. She was elected as a member of the Labour party in May and represents Spitalfields and Banglatown.
The council says:
We can confirm that Councillor Shelina Akhtar is still a councillor for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The matter over which she has been arrested is being investigated by the police.
There is an ongoing police investigation and at this stage we have nothing further to add.
After she was elected, she wrote the following about herself on the Labour party website:
I have lived in Tower Hamlets for over 17 years, and as such have experienced the many diverse cultures it has to offer. I have attended and participated in festivals and events at the centre of the local community, and as a resident feel I can represent your concerns and views effectively at council. Also, by volunteering as a youth worker, supporting young people aged between 8-19 years from different cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities and working as an Enrichment and Youth Worker at Tower Hamlets College, I care deeply about the opportunities available to young people in our area. I believe that by supporting them and teaching them valuable skills, we can empower and educate them for the future. I have also worked for our community as Vice Chair of Spitalfields and BanglaTown, and have been involved in many local campaigns to improve parking in the ward, set up youth centres and create new playgrounds for the future.
More to follow…
UPDATE – 5.45pm
A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police has just told me: “An allegation of fraud has been made and Tower Hamlets CID are currently investigating. Two people have been arrested. They have been bailed to return to an east London police station on December 7.”
He was unable to provide any more details until the officer dealing with the case is back in tomorrow.
For legal reasons, I’m going to pre-approve all comments on this post, so please be patient as I’m going to be at a function for the first part of this evening and will unable to press the right button.
(Photo courtesy of Dan McCurry.)
Trial by Jeory 
For me this marks a change of tactics by those wanting to change the conduct and tenor of the way politics operates in Tower Hamlets – whoever they might be.
It looks to me as if, before long, we could conceivably have a set of completely squeaky clean councillors in Tower Hamlets.
How many councillors – from whatever party – will become casualties as the clean-up progresses is anybody’s guess! For example, who could have possibly guessed:
* party leaders and cabinet ministers as well as MPs would end up being investigated during the parliamentary expenses scandal and
* how many MPs would end up having to repay public funds.
One thing is very clear. The public at large will certainly not support ANY politician who steals public money and/or commits fraud.
I want to emphasise that this is NOT a comment about any particular individual or any particular party. Rather it’s a comment based on the reaction of the UK public to the MPs expenses debacle and the way that was handled.
I guess any councillor who, in the past, has NOT been completely transparent about their financial dealings and totally squeaky clean re any claims for money from public funds might now have reason to be a more than a bit worried….
Well said Ted.
I’m presuming Andrew means the handful of counsellors who defected and are now part of his cabinet. Were only three of them I think?
But is the mayor also responsible for this councillor’s offence because Mr Gilligan says ‘Lutfur Rahman councillor arrested’. Accordingly we’d have to say ‘Ed Miliband baroness fined’ if journalistic standards are to remain uniform even in an un-Islamophobic context.
It’s entirely normal for people reporting on an incident to provide context for the person they are reporting on.
Isn’t Ted using “Lutfur councillor” in the absence of any name for the group that defected from Labour?
If the group actually had a name then there’d be no need to make any reference to Lutfur. However in the absence of a name it seems to me to be to be entirely logical to refer to any of the councillors as followers of Lutfur – since that is what they literally did.
I want to be clear; nobody is too big to be prosecuted. We should have zero tolerance for fraud, but let us also recognize the importance of avoiding collateral damage whenever possible … There are only 8 of them after all who will run the borough?
I think it should be said, that unless Cllr. Akhtar has been a very busy girl over the last month, her alleged offence took place while she was a Labour Party Councillor or activist. Of course there will currently be massive speculation over the nature of the “fraud”. Also why she has been arrested at this particular time (and I don’t mean over Eid Mubarak).
I have my own reasons for being sceptical about “alleged offences” and members of the Labour Party who make accusations that they are unable or unwilling to substantiate. So I will be following the details of this case with baited breath.
I’ve been involved in the Labour movement in Tower Hamlets for twenty years – I first met Shelina when she was imposed as the candidate in Spitalfields this spring.
She seemed perefectly nice to me, but has no real background or affiliation with Labour. Her loyalty was and is very clearly to Lutfur.
This is nonsense. I’m involved in Spitalfields branch and have known Shelly for years. There’s no way shed get involved with anything like this – she’s whiter than white.
It’s a set-up, probably by some sore loser wanting to make evens after her defection.
WHITER THEN WHITE! i completely agree with you, as i know her for many years
i would’t get that far she can’t be whiter then white, no one is clean that does not mean she can not represent people. there is short time mistake and long time mistake however i think this is a set up, someone is very upset with her who didn’t get a place in spitalfields in last election i only can think two people who wanted her out at any cost they knows if they put her into this situation she will resign from her post and i guess they have succeeded.
There is no one called Steve Curtis involved in Tower Hamlets politics.
Imagine Tower Hamlets without Spitalfields. Wouldn’t it be much more peaceful?!
imagine your house without roof?! wouldn’t that be funny!?
Spitafields is a historical part of tower hamlets
people makes mistake and we all learn from it
i have known Shelina for good few years and i believe its a ste-up as thinks like that happens in policities lots.
every one knows this is a set up, someone is really trying to get her off.towerhamlets has too many jealousy.do not forget another election is coming therefore every one knows who is playing what?. I did not relize people in polictics is so dirty now they are farming a female.Who ever is behind all this frame work is abousing their power in the council and in towerhamlets.
and no-one called ‘haha’ if I’m not mistaken…
Imagine saying ‘Gordon Brown MPs involved in more expense scandals’.
Lots of the media did. And lots of MPs were booted out either by their party or by the people.
Lets not jump the gun here, Shelina has not been charged and the police are investigating an allegation made against her. I also think it is inappropriate and unfair to blame or link Mayor Lutfur Rahman to something that another individual is alleged to have done.
I think this whole allegation is completly absurd. I have known shelina for several years now and its not possible that a person who so honest, helpful and sincere to her jon and commitment will do such thing. Something people has to think about is this accusation has been made now when she is supporting Luthfur Rahman. Its strange no such thing has been pointed out before. I think this is just dirty politics that people are playing and all because she is supporting Luthfur Rahman, because she is supporting the truth. We should support people being targeted like shelina and not let those people defame honest workers like shelina.
Shelly Akhtar is innocent. Stop smearing people.
It’s a conspiracy!! I mean look at the timeing. Just after the mayor election and days after becoming independent and EID. Think about it.
Exactly how many Spitalfields councillors or candidates from Labour have been arrested, reported to police or spent time in prison, can anyone answer this question?!
Have you tried reading the blog post? It quite clearly states that
“The council says:
We can confirm that Councillor Shelina Akhtar is still a councillor for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The matter over which she has been arrested is being investigated by the police.”
Another blog indicates that a total of two people have been arrested.
Those unaware of police procedure should understand that there is a VERY BIG DIFFERENCE between “being investigated” and “has been arrested” because to obtain a warrant to arrest a person the police need to satisfy tests as to levels of proof that the offence can be prosecuted.
The “smear” issue is often why you never hear about police investigations until and after people have been arrested.
In my book, it’s a smear when something has been reported without any evidence. It’s not a smear (ie it’s a fact) when somebody reports a person has been arrested – as there MUST be evidence for the police to be able to do that.
However it’s not a fact that the person has actually committed the alleged offence until and unless they have been tried and found guilty. That’s why reports of arrests limit themselves to reporting the FACT of the arrest.
You can still say she is innocent – but that ranks as opinion not fact.
I’m not saying the police ALWAYS get it right 100% of the time when they issue arrest warrants – and I don’t suppose they would either. However inappropriate process or insufficient evidence usually gets picked up pretty fast by the arrested person’s lawyers – and the arrest is cancelled.
Hence it’s very likely that significant evidence exists of matters which require a formal explanation in court.
[…] to my post about Cllr Shelina Akhtar yesterday, the Met Police now tell me that she was arrested on suspicion […]
It is interesting how a councillor thinks she can get away with this. All you people who are saying this is framed and its smear. I would like to meet the man who has framed police officers to come arrest her and her accomplice, took her to a police station and bailed the two.
Not only did the conspirer get the policy but also worked with council officers to doctor paperwork to show shelina was not liing in her property but she wasa sub letting this.
The people who frmaed her must be more geniuses than we thought, if they can do all that.
This is disgusting from a councillor I mean sub-letting your property. Tower Hamlets has Housing issues and people are living in cramped houses, their are poeple as big as 10 in a family living in a 2 bed rooms, and our Whiter than White councillor is doing.
No wordds can describe this.
But its ok, as this is framed and its smear, it was make up police and make up council officers.
I wonder what our new Housing lead Rabia Khan has to say about this
As my honourable friend the (totally unrelated) ‘You Couldn’t Make it Up’ comments, this is allegations at this stage. So our ‘whiter than white’ councillor is ALLEGED to be doing this.
Although I agree with the principle of your post, that such activity, if found to be underway by a councillor or any resident, is totally unacceptable. And I also agree that this is not just a smear campaign – the threshold of evidence required for an arrest is too high.
Imagine an otherwise lovely Spitalfields without dodgy councillors! Cllr Shelina was imposed by Labour and by election candidate Mr Abdul Alim, both with criminal or unlawful past. Is this what the party is about? Both should do the honourable thing and step down. Otherwise, the public will naturally assume Mayor Rahman and Cllr Abbas enjoy having dodgy people backing them.
I’m rather surprised that nobody in this thread has commented on the allegations that Councillor Shelina Akhtar is a cousin of Lutfur Rahman and that her getting the seat in Spitalfields was at his instigation and insistance.
These allegations are being made in comments on <a href="https://trialbyjeory.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/arrested-councillor-is-a-benefit-fraudster/#comments"Arrested councillor and benefit fraud"
So, irrespective of the allegations which have led to her arrest by the police, are the allegations of her close family relationship with Lutfur Rahman true or not?
The link referenced above which I didn’t do properly is<a href="https://trialbyjeory.wordpress.com/2010/11/17/arrested-councillor-is-a-benefit-fraudster/#comments"Arrested councillor and benefit fraud"