The Mirror reports:
Former Tory Minister Michael Mates is being probed for alleged electoral fraud over his attempt to become one of David Cameron’s new police commissioners.
The crony of crooked tycoon and Tory donor Asil Nadir, will be grilled by police over claims he broke election laws by giving a false address to win the lucrative post…
It was sparked by a complaint from rival Don Jerrard, an independent “justice and anti-corruption” candidate fighting Mr Mates for the £85,000-a-year role running the Hampshire force.
The former lawyer wrote to the county’s Chief Constable claiming Mr Mates breached the 2006 Fraud Act by giving his address as a house where he rents rooms in Winchester.
But Mr Jarrard claims Mr Mates, 78, and wife Mary were on the electoral role in neighbouring West Sussex, where they have lived for 15 years, until earlier this year.
Mr Mates last night said police had no choice but to investigate but claimed he was the innocent victim of a smear attempt.
Michael Mates, you may recall, was previously the subject of a fine investigative piece by Michael Crick.
* Mark Pack is Party President and Co-leader of the party. He is editor of Liberal Democrat Newswire.
Follow @LibDemVoice on Twitter
Like us on Facebook
Subscribe to our feed
Sign-up for our daily email digest
The uselessness of Boris Johnson's cabinet is a feature not a bug
NHS Kent and Medway Clinical Commissioning Group Consultation Letter on end of GP Services at Orchard House Surgery in Lydd
November 2009 books
Covid Watch: Ludlow Racecourse Vaccination Centre to open at beginning of February as National Health England condemned for secrecy
Grandmother fears she will die if deported
Are the DUP the 'useful idiots' in an Irish reunification process?
Gompertz Fit by Trust using data to 17th January 2021
David Raw
Katharine Pindar
Laurence Cox
David Hewitt
5 Comments
Don’t let the buggers get you down, Mates!
If Mr Mates publishes on the web the relevant address portion of his driving licence, a recent bank statement, a recent credit card bill and vehicle registration document then we will see where he thinks he lives…
This demonstrates the problem with the PCC elections. There’s so little public engagement with the whole thing that the usual scrutiny that keeps politicians broadly on the straight and narrow isn’t being applied. How many more ‘Mates’ are out there?
What happens if Mates is elected on 15 November & then is subsequently found guilty of electoral fraud?
He gets disqualified!