London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has been convicted and fined after being wrongly linked to an untaxed 24-year-old Nissan Micra, in a case his team has described as a scam.
The Labour politician, 55, was convicted last month by a magistrate under the Single Justice Procedure after the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency, DVLA, prosecuted him for keeping an unlicensed vehicle.
Court documents show that the car did not belong to Khan and that letters concerning the unpaid tax were sent to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in east London. An application has now been made to the magistrates’ court to reopen the case and withdraw the prosecution.
A spokesperson for Khan said: “This is a scam, which is a crime. It’s not the first time the mayor has been victim of a scam involving people falsely stating that Sadiq is the owner of a vehicle. “Such behaviour is illegal, and the DVLA are aware.”
The mayor’s adviser told BBC London that the DVLA was “urgently” examining the case with a view to reopening it and withdrawing the prosecution. The agency is also expected to investigate how Khan’s details were falsely linked to the vehicle.
The magistrate, sitting in a private hearing in Herefordshire under the Single Justice Procedure, convicted Khan in his absence and ordered him to pay a £220 fine, £85 in costs and £35.84 in unpaid vehicle tax.
The case relates to a blue Nissan Micra first registered in 2002. Its annual vehicle tax expired in September last year, and the DVLA said the car was spotted being driven untaxed on 24 January.
According to the DVLA, Khan’s name and date of birth appeared against the vehicle in official government records.
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The agency said it sent a letter seeking confirmation of the vehicle owner’s identity, but the letter was sent to the wrong address and went unanswered. Khan was subsequently prosecuted on 18 August after no plea was entered in response to the charge.
The court also sent the conviction notice to the Gordon Ramsay restaurant, ordering Khan to pay a total of £340.84 within 28 days.
The notice warned that failure to pay could result in increased fines, enforcement action by bailiffs or a warrant for his arrest to bring him before the court. The DVLA has said it is reviewing the case and investigating the circumstances surrounding the prosecution.
The case comes after Khan faced protests from motorists following his decision to expand London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone, Ulez, across the capital.
Some protesters had said they intended to register their vehicles in his name, potentially making him liable for the £12.50 daily Ulez charge.
Defendants who believe they have been wrongly convicted in their absence can apply for a case to be reopened, typically by appearing before a judge and making a statutory declaration.
Khan could argue that he was unaware of the proceedings because the correspondence was sent to the wrong address.
If the case is reopened, he could ask the DVLA to withdraw the prosecution if it is established that he was wrongly accused, or he could enter a not-guilty plea. The DVLA could also apply to the court to have the case reopened.
BBC
