The election court may be over – but the ramifications of the case continue.
At the end of the case, Mr Mawrey ruled that Mayor Lutfur Rahman pay the legal costs of the four “ordinary voters” (present or past candidates standing on behalf of other parties) who brought the case against him. The legal costs are likely to amount to around £500,000, and Lutfur Rahman was ordered to pay £250,000 now, while the exact figure is calculated.
One of the litigants, Andy Erlam (“Red Flag Anti-Corruption Party”), has now gone back to Court to demand that the money be paid over. As a result, the court froze Lutfur Rahman’s assets, which were estimated to be around £350,000, allowing him £2,000 a month for living expenses. Lutfur Rahman will now have to give the Court further details of his financial position, and there will be a further hearing on 3rd August for the Court to give further consideration to how to force Lutfur Rahman to pay the legal costs of the four petitioners. The judge said that the claim for costs may well end up in insolvency proceedings: in other words, if Lutfur Rahman cannot pay the legal costs, they will take steps to have him declared bankrupt, which will allow them to take all his assets.
During the hearing this week, it emerged that Lutfur Rahman is still planning to ask for a judicial review of the Election Court’s ruling. His lawyers said that he estimates that the legal costs of launching a judicial review will be around £100,000 – but he is hoping that third party supporters will contribute to the costs.
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