A senior councillor in Birmingham has been accused of corruption after being given a key role in the £750mn Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, despite the Council’s leaders awareness of the allegations against him, The Times has reported.
Cllr Waseem Zaffar has been appointed to the 2022 Games Advisory Committee, after a series of scandal including an accusation of benefiting from charity funds.
Three people have contacted the council alleging that Zaffar broke the code of conduct and two others have raised concerns with the Charity Commission. He is also locked in a dispute at the High Court with a constituent who has made a series of claims.
Zaffar resigned in March last year as Cabinet member for openness and equality after saying that a school should overturn a hijab ban on a pupil without publicly revealing that she was a relative.
The Times further reported that his solicitors say that the council investigation has since discharged him over this. However he returned to the Cabinet as member for transport and environment in May while the council investigation continued.
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood from Perry Barr constituency said all the claims should be thoroughly investigated.
Zaffar's Solicitors said the allegations were baseless and all council and party checks had “concluded that he is a fit and proper person to be a councillor and has no cause to answer any speculation”.
Kate Charlton, monitoring officer at the council, reportedly said it had found “no case to answer”. She added that the claims were “potentially vexatious and malicious” and further complaints would not be considered without “substantiated evidence”.
