Standard
April 4, 2015
A Conservative candidate arrested over a suspected electoral offence cheated the London council he was hoping to represent out of £30,000 in a “sickening” benefits scam, the Standard reveals today.
Michael Fadaka, 33, today accepted he had made “a mistake” by failing to mention the conviction in his nomination papers to stand as a Tory in Enfield.
He was given a 12-month suspended prison sentence in 2011 after claiming tens of thousands of pounds in housing benefits and income support while studying for a law degree.
The Local Government Act 1972 disqualifies candidates from running in local elections if they have received a prison sentence of at least three months, whether suspended or not, within five years of an election.