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WALTHAM FOREST: Fine against Mayor is withdrawn
3:11pm Tuesday 6th May 2008
Comments (27)A FINE levied against the Mayor and his wife for the unauthorized absence of their daughter from school has been withdrawn.
It was third time lucky for the borough's legal eagles who succeeded in getting their own case against the Mayor Cllr Liaquat Ali reopened at Redbridge Magistrates Court, Barkingside this morning.
Once the case was open, they withdrew their claim, and the court withdrew the £200 fine handed down to the couple at Waltham Forest Magistrates Court, Forest Road, Walthamstow on March 31.
Cllr Ali, who did not attend the hearing, said he was pleased with the result but added: "I'm a bit disappointed that it's come to this and it wasn't my fault. I did the decent thing straight away.
"It's not really on to tarnish the name of an impeccable councillor since 1994."
The council claimed Cllr Ali's son Mohammed Ali had paid the original fine of £50 for each parent after they took their 14-year-old daughter on the Hajj pilgrimage in December last year.
District Judge John Woollard spent several minutes studying statements put before him by Cllr Ali, Mr Ali and finance officer Mr Payliss, before saying that he was satisfied with the council's explanation.
He told the court Mr Ali did not bring the fine's "TPI number" with him so finance officers did not pass the cheque on to the education department, leaving it in a safe.
Mr Ali agreed to return with the number but did not do so.
The department then took the Mayor and his wife Zailnab, of Carisbrooke Road, Walthamstow, to court for non payment of the fine.
It was not until Mr Ali went back to the department and was recognised by a finance officer, that it was revealed the cheque had not been passed on.
DJ Woollard said: "On that basis the prosecution should not have proceeded and a conviction should not have been recorded."
However the district judge expressed surprise that it was not possible to identify the person paying without a number.
Referring to the original case being heard in Waltham Forest, he added: "It does seem somewhat surprising to me that nobody recognised the significance of the person they were dealing with.
"They should at least have moved the case somewhere else."
Cllr Ali is a magistrate at Waltham Forest.
Two previous attempts to get the case reopened were turned down by DJ Woollard who asked to see evidence of the council's claim.
Your Say YourEast London and West Essex Guardian Series
Observer, says...
4:11pm Tue 6 May 08
mdj, e10 says...
4:46pm Tue 6 May 08
So the Mayor's only impeccable if you think it's OK to take your children out of school without prior agreement: it still means three Councillors of the ruling group getting a court conviction inside nine months. Would Waltham Forest have gone back to court in this way to help any parent who did not happen coincidentally to be Mayor?
John O'Rourke, Custom House says...
11:35pm Tue 6 May 08
Jacqui Lambert, Debden says...
11:36pm Tue 6 May 08
Ernie, E17 says...
3:56am Wed 7 May 08
What a pity that John O'Rourke's name obviously denies him the much-sought soubriquet of being a member of the 'indigenous population' . I seem to remember that 'No Irish or coloureds' was the way we used to see his idea expressed.
Pete, Walthamstow says...
10:35am Wed 7 May 08
Ive suddenly remembered that Ive got to go on a pilgrimage to Majorca next week & Ive got to take my kids with me :--) According to the council I might get fined but theyll withdraw it after.
And wheres khalid? Thought he'd want to comment on this.
technomist, walthamstow says...
10:37am Wed 7 May 08
Or why it is a politically acceptable defense for a coucillor in Waltham Forest to demonstrate in a court of law that the council's administration is up the spout and the Mayor personally has not been on hand to sort out this mess?
Why did the council's officers spend their time and our money on defending the Mayor in court when he should have had his own lawyers to do that?
And how does the Mayor, who is also a magistrate intend to face defendants when he is also a known flouter of the law?
I'm afraid that the whole affair still looks very very odd. Where has Mr Ali been and what has he been doing? Has he been drawing his allowances as a councillor while clearly so indisposed, and if so, why?
mr Khalid, walthamstows says...
10:59am Wed 7 May 08
ace, walthamstow says...
11:33am Wed 7 May 08
cllr ali went on pilgramige with his whole family he could not leave a 14 year old child home alone
i think every parent would have done the same.i would appreciate if mr khalid can bloody spell you dont make sense you idiot
cllr ali is a hard working councillor who has seved lbwf for the last 14 years and is a wonderful person who whenever you meet meets with open arms.
jo, walthamstow says...
11:45am Wed 7 May 08
tom, walthamstow says...
12:28pm Wed 7 May 08
tom, walthamstow says...
12:37pm Wed 7 May 08
i have been to numerous functions on different occasions and like always cllr ali is there representing lbwf his theme for this year is working together.
bridging gaps between communities he is such a role model i salute you cllr ali.well done
Jackie Flanders, Essex says...
12:59pm Wed 7 May 08
tom, walthamstow says...
1:29pm Wed 7 May 08
justice has been done so you would leave a 14 year old child home alone. no i dont think so and as far as i am aware they did take permission from the school and i am not pretending ,he is a excellent councillor.
J, Chingford says...
2:48pm Wed 7 May 08
J, Chingford says...
2:51pm Wed 7 May 08
H, walthamstow says...
4:57pm Wed 7 May 08
His silence on this and other important local issues like crime, the economy in the High Street, the lack of amenities and the closure of the St James St library is deafening.
Martin, Walthamstow says...
7:44pm Wed 7 May 08
How about just postponing your trip? Doesn't take a genius to figure out, does it?
Dave, Chingford says...
10:34pm Wed 7 May 08
Good call, delay your trip till the school holidays and then you will not be breaking the rules, Simple
the marksman, everywhere says...
11:22pm Wed 7 May 08
m
Sceptic, E17 says...
12:05am Thu 8 May 08
Will Mr Ali tell us why he took his child out of school? why he did not have the fine paid correctly? why he said he would return with the correct TPI number but did not? or why he is spending so much time out of the borough despite being well-paid to represent it?
As for the comments about how wonderful he is -- he has ignored all requests for help on local issues by everyone I know, including me.
darren, Walthamstow says...
1:34pm Fri 9 May 08
liaquat is one of the most popular councillors in waltham forest and i have met him at his surgery and found him to be very helpful.
as far as i am aware he is the only labour cllr to get elected in high street ward with 2 lib dems cllrs.
i think if he was really as bad as you say he would not have got elected with the highest number of votes,i am sure he must be helping and speaking out for his residents thats why we have voted for him.
tell me sceptic what is your hidden agenda.
who are you sceptic, have you got something personal against liaquat.
Sceptic, E17 says...
1:58pm Sat 10 May 08
darren wrote:Darren, my 'agenda' is exactly what I have said above and in other places. I'm surprised you think these matters are so unimportant that there must be something else behind them!
sceptic why are you always moaning i personaly think you have a vandetta against cllr liaquat.
liaquat is one of the most popular councillors in waltham forest and i have met him at his surgery and found him to be very helpful.
as far as i am aware he is the only labour cllr to get elected in high street ward with 2 lib dems cllrs.
i think if he was really as bad as you say he would not have got elected with the highest number of votes,i am sure he must be helping and speaking out for his residents thats why we have voted for him.
tell me sceptic what is your hidden agenda.
who are you sceptic, have you got something personal against liaquat.
I object to the council spending our money on defending Mr Ali, when his offence was not committed in his role as mayor but in his personal capacity. In other words, he should be organising his own defence, the same as anyone else including you and me would have to.
The mayor paid the original fine but did not bring all the information with him that was needed, and agreed to return with it, but did not. Therefore, it's his own fault he was fined twice.
On top of what the council has paid in defending him, court cases themselves are a public expense. How much has Mr Ali cost the public, through his original offence (taking the child out of school) and second offence (failing to pay the fine correctly despite being clearly told how to)?
If you got, say, a parking fine, Darren, and through your own fault did not manage to pay it correctly and then got fined again, would you expect the council to swing into action on your behalf? I wouldn't. And the council wouldn't either.
On the original case: Mr Ali is not only mayor but a magistrate. He, more than anyone, should show respect for the law!
On Liaquat Ali as a local councillor: I have tried many times in the past to get his help on local community issues but he never so much as replied. He has failed to attend his own advertised surgeries. When I mentioned this to neighbours, they were surprised I had even bothered to try. He has not been a good councillor in my experience and that of many other people. You are entitled to have a different view. But your view does not invalidate my experience and that of many others.
We pay a fortune for councillors who do not bother to represent us, and who use the borough's services for their own ends. This is a bad thing, Darren. I want it to stop, and the best tactic I have, in a democracy, is to tell other people and hope they feel strongly enough to vote accordingly.
I don't know your situation, Darren, but I work hard, I pay income tax and council tax and I want my money spent on services that meet people's genuine needs, not wasted on this sort of nonsense. As for a vendetta, I've never even met Mr Ali despite trying to by going to his surgery!
What other 'agenda' do I need to have, Darren? This all seems outrageous to me. Is that not enough?
Sceptic, E17 says...
2:25pm Sat 10 May 08
But that doesn't let the mayor off the hook. Like the rest of us, if he gets a fine he is responsible for paying it. How difficult can it be for a mayor to get to his own town hall?
sean, walthamstow says...
12:23pm Thu 15 May 08
Sceptic, E17 says...
4:20pm Wed 25 Jun 08
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Observer, says...
3:34pm Tue 6 May 08