Fake Address Scandal: Politician Jailed for Election Fraud
Chaudhary Mohammed Iqbal, 51, from Barking, has been sent down for election fraud. On Tuesday, 4 January, he was sentenced for faking his address on candidate nomination papers during the 2018 Redbridge local elections.
Jailed for Lying on Nomination Forms
Iqbal pleaded guilty to three counts of submitting false statements on nomination forms and one count of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. At Southwark Crown Court, he received nine months in prison for each election offence, served concurrently.
Additional Sentence and Heavy Penalties
He was slapped with an extra eight-month sentence for perverting the course of justice, to run consecutively. On top of jail time, Iqbal was ordered to cough up £10,422 in prosecution costs.
- £10,000 compensation to Redbridge Council for by-election expenses
- £18,368 compensation for wrongful allowances paid
Serious Warning for Future Office Holders
Iqbal was reminded about the harsh restrictions under Section 173 of the Representation of the People Act 1983, including a five-year ban from holding elected office.
Detective Chief Inspector Sarah McConnell of the Met’s Central Specialist Crime Command said: “This is a significant sentence for this type of offence. It reflects the seriousness with which the court viewed the wrongdoing in an electoral setting.”
