In my recent blog:
http://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/technical-blog-smbc-west-midlands-police.html
I pointed out their total failure to investigate the various Labour councillors who gave false declarations in the Register of Interests. I am told that these issues are now "with" the professional standards department......
But of much greater significance is, of course, the ongoing fraud enquiry. Regular readers will know that I have been the conduit for passing information from concerned individuals to the Police. Further, others have contacted the Police direct but contacted me to let me know. Of course, there are likely to have been a number of persons who have contacted them of whom I am not aware.
The Police have been investigating some land sales by Labour but a number of other issues have arisen. It now seems that the Police have done sod-all in respect of these other matters which is particularly galling as I have deliberately NOT followed up a number of these issues for this blog on the basis that they were doing so. Even worse, in one particularly egregious case they actually asked me in writing to back off because of an alleged investigation which has not actually been taking place! This is item 14 in the letter below where the information was given direct to the Police by an ex-police officer who was duly seen and interviewed.
All this is brilliantly convenient for Sandwell Labour since, with such a short time to go before the election, there is now no possibility whatsover of researching these matters and exposing information before polling day.
It gets even worse in that Sandwell Council have refused to answer certain Freedom of Information requests on the basis of the ongoing police investigations when these investigations have not been taking place. Needless to say I will be following these up on your behalf but, again, there is little possibility of Labour authorising speedy disclosure before the election.
Of course, the woman-bullying "leader" of Sandwell Labour, Darren "The Turdmeister" Cooper, is - unbelievably - Chair of the West Midlands Police and Crime Panel. How very helpful!
I will have to go through the rigmarole of the police complaints procedure again but it is disgusting that witnesses have put forward evidence and then been totally ignored. Despite that, it is still important that if you have evidence, you should still speak in confidence to DS Wayne Haynes and his team at the Regional Fraud Team on 0121 251 2176 but I think we now need to monitor this shocking situation very carefully and it would be helpful if you could let me know the substance of your conversation. Similarly, if YOU have already given evidence to the Police which you think they have also ignored, please contact me - anonymity guaranteed if required.
Unfortunately the letter I sent to the Police set out below is heavily redacted but I hope it will give you at least the gist of this appalling situation. Leaving aside the issue of the land sales, you will see that I set out a list of 14 (fourteen) other issues which I personally know about. That is not an exhaustive list in itself and I am sure there are people who have raised issues I don't know about. I DO know, for example, that the issue of vote-rigging has been raised by some (not by me) and you would have thought the Police might have taken this seriously after the Tower Hamlets affair but apparently not.
May I also make it absolutely clear, and so that there is no misunderstanding, that a number of the issues set out below (including redacted ones) have been raised by concerned members of the Sandwell Muslim community who have been brave enough to speak out against the Labour dictatorship.
Of the 14 issues in the letter the Police have confirmed that they are, in fact, investigating just one - item 6 (the Police need to be allowed to do what little they are actually doing and so I have redacted this item).
Item 1 is redacted but deals with what you and I would deem to be very serious offences in respect of property.
Item 2 deals with the 5 Star taxi contract where (then) Deputy Leader Mahboob Hussain "forgot" to mention his interest in 5 Star when bidding for two SMBC contracts one of which has paid his company in excess of £100,000. How is this NOT being investigated??????
Item 3 deals with events some time back but there has been a fairly recent and unexplained release of a restrictive covenant by persons "unknown" at SMBC allowing the former charity's property in Church Street, Oldbury to be sold on by a private individual.
Item 7 deals with the sale of the Florence Road site to Cllr Rouf's son (see posts passim) and SMBC have been blocking the provision of information on this. I will be submitting a detailed FOI on your behalf imminently.
Item 8 this deals with the mysterious sale of a property to Labour's Cllr Bawa - see my post:
http://thesandwellskidder.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/a-curious-option-on-councillor-bawas.html
Here is the Freedom of Information Act request I put in way back in October but SMBC refused to answer because of the "ongoing investigation" which we now know hasn't been ongoing at all! I am re-submitting it today to the Council:
Sent: 23/10/2014 12:40:52
Subject: Freedom of Information Request - Sale of Land at Bridge Street, Oldbury - 2000
Dear Sirs,
On 7th April, 2000 you conveyed a plot of land at Bridge Street, Oldbury to
Babu Singh Bawa. Curiously the transaction appears to have included an
option to repurchase the land.
Please state:
1. The extent of the plot sold;
2. The sale price;
3. Whether Babu Singh Bawa was a Councillor as at the date of the
transaction;
4. Whether SMBC did, in fact, repurchase the land. If not, why not?
This event was some time ago but please state any efforts made to market
the land, details of other offers received etc.
Yours faithfully,
Item 9 again relates to sales at undervalues by Labour sometimes subject to restrictive covenants which - as in item 3 above - can then be secretly lifted without the taxpayer being any the wiser. See previous posts on this subject - in particular in respect of the massive piece of land sold to Tipton mosque for just £25,000!
Item 14 is the one where the retired police officer was involved and I was asked by the Police not to blog about because of the ongoing investigation! Well I have been well and truly shafted here! Given the evidence presented to the police in respect of this issue, this will undoubtedly be the subject of a formal complaint to the Chief Constable. It is redacted at present but relates to at least one Labour Councillor (allegedly) conspiring to pervert the course of justice - a serious matter!
Items 10, 11. 12. 13 and 15 all concern named individuals including Labour Councillors AND specific (current) SMBC employees.
There is indeed something rotten in the Socialist State of Sandwell!
Letter - hand-delivered 17/04/15:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
West Midlands Police xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxx 17/04/15
xxxxxxxxxxxx
Birmingham xx xxxx
BY HAND
Dear DI xxxxxx,
Please note that this letter is NOT intended to be “private & confidential” and that I reserve the right to use it in redacted or unredacted form in my blog as I see fit.
I do appreciate, however, that there are certain operational matters that should not be placed in the public domain at this time. If you are going to bother to reply, you should note that anything NOT marked specifically as “confidential” may be placed in the public domain in either redacted or unredacted form as I see fit.
My main purpose in writing is that following xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx I am concerned as to the actual scope of the current Regional Fraud Team investigation into Sandwell Council. I am also perplexed as to why there has apparently been xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
May I say here that a number of people have risked their jobs to pass information to the police (via me and otherwise) concerning the activities of the Council and others - including myself - have even put our personal security in jeopardy. It would be extremely annoying, to say the least, if the Police are not doing anything with the information myself and others have been passing on. Speaking for myself, I have deliberately avoided researching various aspects of Sandwell’s activities on the basis that the matter was now in the hands of the police and I did not want to tread on your toes.
It was left with DS Haynes that he would simply acknowledge information that I passed to him but that he would be unable to give me information about operational matters and we have both proceeded on that basis. I accepted that but I am beginning to wonder whether I have done the right thing. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
In the circumstances (and I appreciate that there may be some issues here that overlap to an extent) can you please indicate whether the Regional Fraud Team are ACTIVELY investigating the following matters:
1 xxxxx - xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
2 Five Star Taxi Contracts - the circumstances surrounding the grant of taxi licences to Hussain’s Five Star (and a possible related xxxxxxxxxxxx issue)?
3 The demise of the Sandwell Muslim Organisation?
4 Property dealings of the xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?
5 General allegations of money laundering and the transfer of funds to xxxxxxxxxxx?
6 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?
7 Sale of the Florence Road, Smethwick site to Cllr Rouf’s son?
8 Sale of property in Bridge Street to Cllr Bawa?
9 Sale of land and release of covenants in respect of various mosques?
10 Possible xxxxxxxx of monies from xxxxxxxxxxx to xxxxxxxxxxxxx?
11 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx? [A named employee of SMBC]
12 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?
13 Cllr xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx?
14 The xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx? (This is particularly annoying as an ex-police officer also reported this to you and I have been told to back off and yet as far as I can tell there are people holding dossiers of information whom you have STILL not got round to approaching).
15 Certain Council officers who xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I reserve the right to contact you further in respect of other issues but it goes without saying that I am assuming (and I don’t know) xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
End.
THE SANDWELL SKIDDER - A COMMUNITY BLOG - READ THE SKIDDER, KIDDER!
E-mail: thesandwellskidder@gmail.com Twitter: @bcrover (Vernon Grant)
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