Ex-Tory candidate with ’cavalier attitude’ towards democracy jailed for electoral fraud
Mohammed Navid Afzal had been scolded by a judge at Burnley Crown Court, where his own lawyer said the 41-year-old man, from Accrington, Lancashire, ’accepts this is a serious offence’
A former Tory party candidate who had shown "a cavalier attitude towards the democratic process" - and committed electoral fraud - has been jailed for two months.
Mohammed Navid Afzal, 41, stood for the Conservatoires in the Netherton Ward of Hyndburn, Lancashire, ward two years ago. In May of that year, he was arrested after it was claimed signatures on his nomination papers for the May 5 poll were invalid.
Afzal, of Accrington, Lancashire, was found guilty on one count of corrupt practice following a trial. He was originally charged with two counts of corrupt practice in September 2022 but was cleared by one offence by a jury at at Preston Crown Court.
Afzal had denied the two charges at Burnley Crown Court in October 2022, but his barrister Tobias Collins said Afzal had now accepted what had happened.
The guilty offence involved the signature of Asad Mirdad, a man Afzal had known since their college days, but fell out of touch.
Mr Mirdad said they had not seen each other for around 20 years before they bumped into each other at the mosque in Great Harwood.
He told the court he is not involved in politics, but was a trustee at the mosque and did a lot of community work. He said he was asked by Afzal to help with his campaign by going door-to-door but he refused as he had applied to join the police at the time.
All he did was show Afzal a list of mosque attendees he could approach to ask about supporting the campaign. The charge of which Afzal was cleared concerned Noreen Hussain, who gave evidence via an interpreter.
She said she did not know Afzal or anything about the 2022 elections, and did not have an interest in politics then or now. Ms Hussain was shown a copy of a nomination paper by the court which showed a signature of ’N. Hussain’ and the name Noreen written close by.
She said the signature was similar to her own, but did not remember signing this form, nor was she asked to help with Afzal’s nomination. Ms Hussain also said she could not read English and could not read or understand any of the words on the form.
Mitigating at Burnley Crown Court, Mr Collins said: "He no longer maintains his denial. He wishes to convey through me that he does accept this is a serious offence and he is sorry for allowing the matter to go as far as it did.
"Despite this offending, the defence would maintain this is someone who has made an effort to be an asset in the local community. He did enter politics with a true intent to help. He knows he has harmed his community and is thoroughly embarrassed by doing so."
Judge Andrew Jeffries, sentencing, said: "It’s a great shame you did not come to terms with what you did before going through the charade of a trial.
"This offence compromises the integrity of the democratic process. It may well be a small and local election but, in my judgement, nonetheless important. My view during the trial was you displayed at best a cavalier attitude towards the democratic process. The fact you stood for election while these proceedings were still pending is a reflection of your lack of integrity."
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