Monday, 4 April, 2005 :
BBC
A judge investigating vote-rigging in Birmingham's local elections has ruled there was
"widespread fraud", and has ordered new elections.
Election Commissioner Richard Mawrey QC upheld allegations of postal fraud relating to six seats won by Labour in the ballot of June 10 last year.
"The system is wide open to fraud and any would-be political fraudster knows that," Judge Mawrey said.
The results have been declared void and the polls in the wards must be rerun.
The judge heard petitions lodged against six Labour councillors, who all strenuously deny allegations that they abused the postal ballot system.
The first petition was brought by the People's Justice Party against three representatives of the Bordesley Green ward, Shafaq Ahmed, Shah Jahan and Ayaz Khan.
They walked out of last month's hearing on the first day after Judge Mawrey, sitting as a deputy High Court judge, refused an application for an adjournment to allow them further time to prepare their case.
The second petition was raised by Liberal Democrat supporters against three Aston representatives, Mohammed Islam, Muhammed Afzal and Mohammed Kazi.
During the hearings, which were held at the Birmingham and Midland Institute and lasted four weeks, the petitioners accused the defendants of using forgery and deception to collect and amend thousands of votes.
The petitioners also accused the city's returning officer and chief executive Lin Homer of failing to discharge her duties in accordance with electoral law.
The hearings are seen as test cases because of complaints about postal voting irregularities in other parts of the country.
