Clear evidence of postal vote fraud in Tower Hamlets was revealed in the
High Court yesterday in a challenge by the RESPECT party.

Forensic experts found almost 13 per cent forgeries in the sample of
postal votes and applications they examined.

And a statement by Tower Hamlets Council's deputy returning officer Pat
Parker reveals that 2,700 postal vote application forms were brought to
the Town Hall by hand, 'delivered in person by council members'.

RESPECT submitted a legal petition challenging the outcome of voting in
two wards in May 2006 local council elections. The legal action had
exposed serious evidence of systematic fraud and RESPECT will be
forwarding all the evidence directly to the police.

A report in yesterday's Evening Standard also reports former Home Office
forensic scientist Kim Hughes, now working for a document examination
company, saying 42 of the Labour postal votes examined for Bethnal Green
South ward were probably forged. Evidence in the High Court case also
indicated possible further vote forgery and vote stealing, with some
addresses receiving redirected postal votes from up to 22 different
voters.

Councillor Abjol Miah, leader of the RESPECT group, said today: 'It is a
disgrace that Tower Hamlets tolerates this flagrant abuse of democracy.
RESPECT has brought this challenge at much personal sacrifice by our
members, to expose the rotten regime in our Council in relation to
voting. This needs to be swept clean immediately, and we call on the
police to make sure this fraud is ended now.'