Conservative Candidate, Craig Mackinlay Charged Over Alleged Election Fraud

Conservative candidate representing South Thanet constituency in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom parliament, Craig Mackinlay, has been charged for alleged overspending in the 2015 general election campaign.

Mackinlay, who is running again on 8 June, stands accused under the Representation of the People Act 1983, alongside his election agent Nathan Gray and party activist Marion Little, BBC reports.

A statement by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) confirmed the charge on Friday, June 2, accusing the 50-year-old of “falsely” declaring expenses in the run up to the vote, which saw him narrowly defeat Ukip’s Nigel Farage.

According to the statement, Craig Mackinlay, 50, his agent Nathan Gray, 28, and Marion Little, a party activist, 62, have each been charged with offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983 and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 4 July 2017.

The statement which was issued by CPS head of special crime Nick Vamos reads: “On 18 April we received a file of evidence from Kent Police concerning allegations relating to Conservative Party expenditure during the 2015 General Election campaign. We then asked for additional enquiries to be made in advance of the 11 June statutory time limit by when any charges needed to be authorised.

“Those enquiries have now been completed and we have considered the evidence in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors.

“We have concluded there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest to authorise charges against three people.

“Craig Mackinlay, 50, Nathan Gray, 28, and Marion Little, 62, have each been charged with offences under the Representation of the People Act 1983 and are due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 4 July 2017.

READ ALSO  Mob Beat Rep. Member, Salihu Adamu Into A Coma In Minna

“Criminal proceedings have now commenced and it is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”

Reacting to the development, the Conservative Party said in a statement issued by its spokesperson that: “The legal authorities have previously cleared Conservative candidates who faced numerous politically motivated and unfounded complaints over the Party’s national Battlebus campaigning.

“We continue to believe that this remaining allegation is unfounded. Our candidate has made clear that there was no intention by him or his campaigners to engage in any inappropriate activity. We believe that they have done nothing wrong, and we are confident that this will be proven as the matter progresses.

“The individuals remain innocent unless otherwise proven guilty in a court of law. The press, parties and those on social media should be aware of the provisions of the Contempt of Court Act and the strict liability rules against publishing anything which would prejudice the course of justice.

“There is a broad consensus that election law is fragmented, confused and unclear, with two different sets of legislation, and poor guidance from the Electoral Commission. Conservatives are committed to strengthening electoral law to tackle the real and proven cases of corruption that were exposed in Tower Hamlets in 2015,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, the 2017 United Kingdom general election is scheduled to take place on 8 June 2017. Each of the 650 parliamentary constituencies will elect one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons, the lower house of Parliament.

READ ALSO  THE DEADLY TOXIN THAT KILLED KIM JONG NAM TAKES A SINGLE DROP TO KILL

In line with the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011, an election had not been due until 7 May 2020, but a call for a snap election by Prime Minister Theresa May received the necessary two-thirds majority in a 522 to 13 vote in the House of Commons on 19 April 2017.

About the author

Facebook Comments

Leave a Reply