THREE Burnley men - two of them councillors - appeared at Preston magistrates court today on an election fraud charge.
Daneshouse with Stoneyholme Liberal Democrat councillors Mozaquir Ali, 43, of Brougham Street, Burnley, and Mansoor Hussain, 57, of Milner Street, Burnley, were summonsed with election agent Talib Hussain, 52, of Colne Road, Burnley.
They are each accused of conspiracy to defraud the Returning Officer of Burnley Borough Council.
The three men were arrested and bailed last October as part of a year-long police probe into proxy voting at last year's local elections.
Today their case was sent to Preston Crown Court, where they are due to appear on October 11. All three are on unconditional bail. Their solicitor, Andrew Church-Taylor, indicated that all three would plead not guilty.
The investigation was launched after council staff became suspicious about the number of applications for proxy votes, which allow people to vote on behalf of others.
Electors can appoint a proxy if they are unable to vote themselves, if they are out of the country on holiday or on business or in the armed forces.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article