Index page for all posts relating to Poplar Papers investigation into corruption in Tower Hamlets Council.
Exclusive – Mayor Biggs protected Youth Service officer from investigation
Biggs allegations – LBTH response and a POCA question
Poplar Papers 1 – “The finish was more important than the task”
Poplar Papers 2 – The Summer Youth Programme 2016
Poplar Papers 3 – Youth Service investigation 2019 puzzle
Poplar Papers 4 – £1,288,815 AP1 Voucher Payments
Poplar Papers 5 – AP1 Vouchers Table of Payments
Poplar Papers 6 – Abzal Ali, Interim Head of Youth Service
Poplar Papers 7 – The £470,865 Youth Service credit card bill
Poplar Papers 8 – Youth Service Timeline 2003-2020
Poplar Papers 9 – How Tower Hamlets Council avoids public scrutiny
Poplar Papers 10 – Organised corruption networks inside LBTH
Poplar Papers 11 – Intermission and the dismal story so far
Poplar Papers 12 – Easy ways to feed at the corruption trough
Poplar Papers 13 – Secret money laundering system funding extremism
Poplar Papers 14 – How to earn your council pay while banged up in jail
Poplar Papers 15 – Once again justice bypasses Tower Hamlets
Poplar Papers 16 – Organised corruption in Tower Hamlets council
You can find the landing page for any post tagged ‘Poplar Papers’ here
The fairy tale
In 2015 Mayor Lutfur Rahman is kicked out of office after being found guilty of corruption and rigging the 2014 Mayoral election. Labour’s John Biggs becomes Mayor after winning the subsequent re-run of the election promising to clean the borough up once and for all. After being elected a clean-up project is created by Mayor Biggs that will rid Tower Hamlets of corruption and all is well.
The reality
Mayor Rahman is kicked out of office, John Biggs is elected Mayor and initiates a ‘clean-up’ project which is in fact a cover-up for the extensive criminality of council officers during the Rahman administration.
A dedicated investigator is tasked with looking to any allegations of corruption, but when he begins to expose the true scope of the corruption he is dismissed.
Despite finding credible evidence of corruption by numerous council officers there are no subsequent prosecutions or convictions.
After much discussion the evidence bundle produced at his employment tribunal for unfair dismissal is released to the media and is found to contain a significant amount of evidence of corruption despite being heavily redacted. We call the bundle the ‘Poplar Papers’.
Despite numerous allegations the ‘clean-up’ project finds none worthy of pursuing and there are no subsequent prosecutions or convictions.
Why?
