4-5 Gray's Inn Square's Tanveer Qureshi achieves Not Guilty Verdict for Council Leader
Added: (Thu May 04 2023)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
4-5 Gray's Inn Square's Tanveer Qureshi, instructed by Mandip Kumar of Precedence Law, achieved a Not Guilty verdict in a week-long trial involving allegations of electoral malpractice. A jury took less than 3 hours to find the elected councillor and leader of the council not guilty of corruption in an election.
Russell Bowden, a Labour Party councillor and leader of Warrington Borough Council was charged with an offence contrary to Section 65A of the Representation of Peoples Act 1982. It was alleged Mr Bowden had deliberately lied on his nomination form by stating a false address in order to portray himself as a local man in the 2021 local elections.
Throughout the proceedings, Tanveer argued that there was no legal definition of home address and the CPS's understanding of home address, namely a place limited to where one lives and sleeps was wrong. One month before the trial started, the CPS finally conceded they had applied the wrong legal test but pressed on with the case suggesting there was still overwhelming evidence that Mr Bowden had lied. But the jury took less than three hours to clear Mr Bowden.
Commenting on the case, Mr Bowden said:
"I have always had a clear conscience in relation to these unfounded allegations, but today's outcome enables my name and reputation to remain intact. It has been stressful and deeply upsetting for my family to have this hanging over me for almost two years. I would like to thank my legal team, my barrister Tanveer Qureshi of 4-5 Gray's Inn Square and my solicitor Mandip Kumar of Precedence Law who have supported me throughout this case along with my family, friends and many well-wishers."
ENDS
Notes:
Tanveer Qureshi is a Barrister at 4-5 Gray's Inn Square who specialises in representing clients involved with allegations of malpractice, health and safety, regulatory breaches, fraud, along with other misconduct by individuals, companies, directors, financial professionals and corporate entities.
Mandip Kumar is a Solicitor Advocate and Director of Precedence Law. He specialises in representing professional clients subject to criminal and professional regulatory proceedings.