London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been convicted and fined over an untaxed vehicle, following a case brought forward by Britain’s Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London for Britain’s ruling Labour Party and longtime enemy of President Donald J. Trump, has been convicted for failing to pay vehicle tax. 📺 DETAIL: Khan was convicted for failing to tax a 24-year-old Nissan Micra. The prosecution stemmed from official records showing Khan’s name and date of birth associated with the vehicle. The Mayor of London was found guilty by a magistrate last month. He was ordered to pay a fine of £220, as well as £85 in costs, and to settle a £35.84 bill in unpaid tax. Letters about the unpaid tax were addressed to the Mayor but sent to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant instead of Transport for London’s (TfL) offices. This led officials from City Hall to assert that the vehicle did not belong to Khan or TfL. The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA), Britain’s version of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), prosecuted the case. Khan was found guilty last month by a magistrate’s court. The annual tax for the vehicle ran out in September last year, and it was identified as untaxed in January. The case was brought through the Single Justice Procedure (SJP) court system. The JSJP system is controversial, as it can be used to prosecute individuals for minor offenses without adequate notice or representation. This includes elderly and disabled people, who have been fined for vehicles they can no longer use because of their health conditions. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “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,” a spokesman for Khan insisted. 🎯 IMPACT: In order to overturn the conviction, Khan will need to appear in court in person. The DVLA has stated that it is reviewing the case. Khan may also face bailiffs, increased fines, or even “a warrant for your arrest to bring you to court.” If Khan fails to overturn the conviction, this will likely hurt his reputation in the capital even more, as a majority of Londoners want him to stand down. This is likely to be viewed with a degree of irony, as much of Khan’s mayoralty has revolved around taxing motorists under programs like the Ultra-Low Emissions Zone scheme (ULEZ), which charges Londoners for their vehicle emissions. |
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