Ex-Tower Hamlets mayor has £350K assets frozen

Assets belonging to the former elected mayor of Tower Hamlets Lutfur Rahman have been frozen by the High Court.

The order was granted to Andrew Erlam, who is seeking payment of costs as one of four petitioners who successfully took Mr Rahman to an election court over improprieties in his May 2014 election.

Mr Rahman was removed from office by election commissioner Richard Mawrey in April and banned from holding public office for five years.

Under the order, the former mayor must not remove from England and Wales any assets up to the value of £350,000. He was warned that any breach of the order could be treated as contempt of court.

After Mr Rahman was ousted, the Electoral Commission dissolved his Tower Hamlets First party.

A candidate supported by him lost the re-run election last month to Labour’s John Biggs.