Nasreen Akhtar, polling station clerk at the Madeley Centre Polling Station, has today pleaded guilty to misconduct in public office for helping her nieces to cast fraudulent votes in the 2012 local government election in Derby.
Her nieces, Tameena and Samra Ali, have also pleaded guilty to personation by voting as people other than themselves.
Noshiela Maqsood has pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice by trying to cover up the offending by claiming to police that she had voted in the Derby local government election when, in fact, she had not.
Abid Sabir, brother of Nasreen Akhtar, has also pleaded guilty to perverting the course of justice.
Mohammed Akbar, father in law of Noshiela Maqsood, was charged with perverting the course of justice, although the CPS has decided to offer no evidence in relation to this after he received a police caution for wasting police time.
Jane Wragg, Specialist Prosecutor handling Special Crime in the Crown Prosecution Service, said:
“Tameena and Samra Ali deliberately set out to vote in a ward where they were not eligible to do so, in an attempt to fraudulently interfere with the electoral process and boost the number of votes for the Labour candidate in the Arboretum Ward.
“Their Aunt, Nasreen Akhtar, abused her position as poll clerk by knowingly permitting them to do this. She falsely claimed to an official at the polling station that she did not know who they were despite being related to them. Noshiela Maqsood then tried to cover up this fraud by giving false information to the police.
“Abid Sabir also made a false complaint against a witness in the case. They too now face the consequences of their lies.
“It is vital that the public has confidence in the integrity of the electoral and wider democratic process. Nasreen Akhtar, and those convicted alongside her, betrayed the trust the public places in election officials but today’s convictions should give reassurance that those who try to undermine the democratic process will be brought to justice.”
