Wednesday, 19 February 2014

KHOODEELAAR! Diagnosing the Channel 814, the Daily Express and LBTH Council clique -1


KHOODEELAAR! Diagnosing the Channel 814, the Daily Express and LBTH Council clique -1

KHOODEELAAR! Diagnosing the Channel 814, the Daily Express and LBTH Council clique -1

0040 Hrs GMT London Wednesday 19 February 2014

By © Muhammad Haque

KHOODEELAAR! first Commentary on the DAILY EXPRESS version of a 'news report' about the ethnicity-linked 'satellite' BSKB TV Channel 814 (also known as "Channel S") that has led with the claim that Tower Hamlets Council's Executive Mayor Lutfur Rahman had given the convicted and now jailed fraudster Ferdhaus Jail a glowing reference "just before" the latter (Mahee Jolil Ferdhaus/Mohammed Jolil Ferdhaus…)  was sent to jail by London's Southwark Crown Court on Monday 17 February 2014.

The KHOODEELAAR! Campaign is critical o the particular bias and omissions as shown by the DAILY EXPRESS.

These commentaries will be continued.
The KHOODEELAAR! Campaign posted a comment on the London DAILY EXPRESS website at 2151 Hrs GMT London Tuesday 18 February 2014

That Comment was numbered 4th on the “comments” at that time on the DAILY EXPRESS Website piece.

The KHOODEELAAR! Campaign is DEFENDING the Community in the East End of London and also carrying the ethical banner for fairness and impartiality in the way we comment on issues.

Quoting [with two typos corrected in the UPDATE]

The headline to your online piece reads “Anger as London mayor gives GLOWING court reference for convicted insurance FRAUDSTER”.

Clearly you have been too excited to realise that an insertion of “a” should have been put before the “London” to distinguish the “mayor” from the “London mayor”.

The main “news” is about the fraud by an individual whose published “home” address is Warley in Essex. And his published reported place of fraud has been in the London Borough of Waltham Forest and elsewhere and not, as far as is definitely known at the time of writing on 18 February 2014, in Tower Hamlets.

So why give so much prominence to Tower Hamlets?

Especially as you say at the end that there is no suggestion that Lutfur

was involved in the reported fraud by Ferdhaus?

As the news story that follows your headline is really not about Lutfur Rahman, the reasonable and fair-minded question is: why lead with that?

As Ted Jeory, whose by-line appears with the story, ought to know, the KHOODEELAAR! Campaign has been OPPOSED to there being an elected executive mayor in Tower Hamlets. On that principle, we stand firm.

In contrast with our position, the “star” name that Mr Jeory promotes about Tower Hamlets is that of Peter Golds. And what has Peter Golds been doing?

First he claimed that he was opposed to the mayor system and then he became a supporter of the system.

There is absolutely nothing that justifies someone changing their “principle” like that!

Now, he has become THE expert in demanding all manner of investigation into the many allegations he has made about the Council.

The Council is controlled by a corrupt clique and it will NOT do anything that exposes its corruption.

The KHOODEELAAR! Campaign has said this for ages.

Since before anyone in the ordinary population in Tower Hamlets had ever heard of either Lutfur Rahman or indeed of Peter Golds.

So why haven’t you, the Daily Express and Mr Ted Jeory done any reporting on that?


The DAILY EXPRESS online piece has used a number of images, including the one below. This one shows Channel 814 giving another platform to Lutfur Rahman. The slot was fronted by Ferdhaus Jolil in November 2013 according to the DAILY EXPRESS online piece retrieved at 2130 GMT
 
Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman court praise for Channel S fraudster Mohammed Ferdhaus | UK |...
www.express.co.uk


THE DAILY EXPRESS ONLINE REPORT QUOTED BELOW:


Anger as London mayor gives GLOWING court reference for convicted insurance FRAUDSTER

ONE of Britain’s most controversial mayors provided a glowing court reference yesterday to a convicted insurance fraudster who was then sentenced to three years in jail for money laundering.

By: Ted Jeory
Published: Tue, February 18, 2014
 
 
 
TV Mayor Lutfur Rahman right being interviewed on Channel S by Mohammed Ferdhaus left
TV: Mayor Lutfur Rahman, right, being interviewed on Channel S by Mohammed Ferdhaus, left [YOUTUBE]
Lutfur Rahman, the directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets Council in east London, praised Mohammed Ferdhaus’s “instrumental role” in promoting Britain’s Bangladeshi community just minutes before he was sent to prison for the second time in six years.
Mr Rahman’s letter of praise made reference to Ferdhaus’s work with Channel S, an influential satellite TV station for British Bangladeshis and which has been warned by Ofcom for broadcasting biased coverage of the mayor’s policies. Ferdhaus is the channel’s founder and was until recently a regular presenter.
He interviewed Mr Rahman, an independent who was expelled from Labour in 2010, on the channel as recently as last November. Despite a previous jail sentence for insurance fraud, Ferdhaus has been named as one of the most powerful Bangladeshis in Britain.
However, a judge at Southwark Crown Court yesterday said another custodial sentence was the only possible outcome for his latest crime, laundering the money from a £1.9million crash for cash insurance scam.

lutfur rahman, mohammed ferdhaus, channel s, tower hamlets, tower hamlets council, mahee, mahee jalil, mahee insurance, mahee kidnap, lutfur rahman, peter golds, channel s ofcom
CONTROVERSIAL: Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman was expelled from the Labour party in 2010 [TOWER HAMLETS]
Ferdhaus, 40, who is also known as Mahee Jalil, grinned as his sentence was read out and waved at supporters in the public gallery, saying "thank you" and "see you  soon". He helped flush funds generated by a team of fraudsters led by his brother, Mohammed Samsul Haque, 26.
Haque, together with five other men, had already been sentenced to a total of more than 12 years in prison. More than 120 bogus insurance claims for luxury motors including Mercedes, Jaguars and BMWs were engineered by Haque through his company, Motor Alliance.
Cars were trashed at crash for cash drinking parties at Haque's garage in Tottenham, north London, the court heard. The gang rammed the vehicles into each other blocking out the noise with blaring music, before finishing the job with baseball bats.
Between November 2005 and October 2008, a series of London-based accident management firms were used as a front to hide their activities. They also persuaded other drivers to provide their licence details to back up the insurance claims in return for small amounts of cash.

 
lutfur rahman, mohammed ferdhaus, channel s, tower hamlets, tower hamlets council, mahee, mahee jalil, mahee insurance, mahee kidnap, lutfur rahman, peter golds, channel s ofcom
CONVICT: Mohammed Ferdhaus was alos jailed for insurance fraud in 2008 [CENTRAL]
Money laundering is a serious offence. You were close to the source of the fraud and you dishonestly handled £500,000
Judge Anthony Pitts
The firm raked in around £1.17million in profits from the scam, which was unearthed after police raided Motor Alliance and found 64 files relating to insurance claims in the boot of a silver Mercedes.
Ferdhaus had a “background” role in the firm and was involved in the scam between July 19, 2006 and October 31, 2008. The media mogul tried to pin the blame on his innocent middle brother, Abdul, and maintained his innocence on the day he was due to stand trial in July last year. 
He was jailed for 18 months in 2008 for conspiracy to defraud in respect of an almost identical earlier insurance scam between 2002 and 2003. The businessman was on bail awaiting trial at the time he became embroiled in the later fraud. 
Ferdhaus had suffered post traumatic stress disorder after being kidnapped at gunpoint outside his TV station offices in Walthamstow, east London and issued with a £250,000 ransom demand. When he refused to pay his assailants they tortured him, hanging him upside down and pouring boiling water on his head, before threatening to rape his daughter.
He continues to endure psychological difficulties as a result of the ordeal in May 2011, shortly after he returned from a pilgrimage to Mecca, the court heard. But sentencing, Judge Anthony Pitts said: “The proceeds of the fraud Motor Alliance received was something a little over £1m. 
“Payments from the proceeds of the fraud were put into your account or accounts controlled by you.
“The proceeds of the fraud received by you was £500,000. It wasn't proceeds which you suspected might be proceeds of fraud but of course which you knew were the proceeds of fraud. You are a highly intelligent man, there is no doubt about that and I have read a lot of good things about you. 
“Of course you have suffered post traumatic stress disorder and anxiety and depression. But money laundering is a serious offence. You were close to the source of the fraud and you dishonestly handled £500,000.

“This offending by you is so serious that even given the lapse in time, largely for which you are responsible, an immediate custodial sentence of some length must be passed.” 
Shaven headed and wearing a black jacket, grey sweater and jeans Ferdhaus bit his nails and held his head in his hands as he sat in the glass-enclosed dock during the hearing. 
But he appeared cheerful as the sentence was passed, thanking the judge and giving a thumbs up to supporters in the packed public gallery. He grinned and waved, telling them “thank you” and “see you soon” as he was led down to the cells. 
Ferdhaus was also banned from being a director for 10 years. 
Mark Milliken-Smith QC, defending Ferdhaus, said of his kidnapping: “The fact that he suffered post traumatic stress disorder is hardly surprising given the physical and mental ordeal he was subjected to.
“What happened to him in May 2011 was a very, very significant and life changing experience. This is a changed man.” 
Ferdhaus received a glowing references, including the one from Mr Rahman, who described him as playing an “instrumental role” in promoting the Bangladeshi community through Channel S.
He has a “real desire to help others” and is a keen philanthropist in particular supporting those affected by natural disasters, the court heard. 

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“He has a selflessness which one doesn't naturally associate with an individual concerned with personal greed,” Mr Milliken-Smith added. 
Ferdhaus, from Brentwood, Essex, admitted possessing criminal property. Samsul Haque, of Maida Vale, west London, was given five years in October 2011 after he admitted conspiracy to defraud between November 13, 2005 and October 16, 2008.
His lieutenant Rosul Yusuf, 33, was jailed for four years, while Shalim Miah, 29, received two years behind bars and Halimur Rashid, 28, was jailed for 15 months.
Nazruislam Muhammad Rahman, 32, and Noveed Akhtar, 40, both of whom were named in bogus claims made by Haque's gang were given 12 month sentences suspended for 12 months.
Paul Ellis, 37, who pleaded guilty to providing six driving licences to Haque was given a six-month sentence suspended for 12 months.
Ellis and Rahman were ordered to carry out 100 and 140 hours of unpaid work respectively.
Today, Councillor Peter Golds, the leader of the Tory opposition in Tower Hamlets called for a council investigation into the town hall’s links with Channel S.
The council and the mayor declined to comment.
There is no suggestion that Lutfur Rahman had any involvement in the insuranceor money laundering scam.
___________________________________________________________________________
CONTEXTUAL BACKGROUND STORIES about Tower Hamlets Council retrieved
at appx 0020 GMT London Wednesday 19 february 2014
THE London EVENING STANDARD web site:

Revealed: Tower Hamlets mayor’s close links to TV station rapped for bias towards him

 
 
 
 
Support: Tower Hamlets mayor Lutfur Rahman received favourable coverage from Channel S (Picture: Nigel Howard)
 
  
83
  
16
  
  
Published: 06 March 2013
 
The full extent of links between Tower Hamlets council and a controversial Bangladeshi TV channel can be revealed today.
An investigation by the Evening Standard has found Channel S provided such favourable political coverage to mayor Lutfur Rahman that regulator Ofcom ruled some of its programmes illegal.
Shows on the satellite station, based in Walthamstow, did not “inform and educate” but were broadcast to promote Mr Rahman “in a positive light”.
The problems occurred under previous owner Mohammed Ferdhaus, who was jailed for fraud in 2008. Ofcom is powerless to act as Channel S, which is watched by tens of thousands, is now under new management.
The mayor employs Channel S journalist Mohammed Jubair as a personal adviser on a publicly funded salary. Tower Hamlets — which has the highest child poverty rate in Britain, with four in 10 children living in poverty — spent £12,000 sponsoring a Channel S awards ceremony last May.
Mr Jubair appears to have played a role in the payment, according to documents released under freedom of information laws.
Ministers are so concerned about Ofcom’s inability to tackle the issue that they are preparing to introduce legislation. Local government minister Brandon Lewis said: “Such actions are not just a misuse of public funds, they are harmful to local democracy and an independent, free media.
“We are looking at putting [measures] on a statutory basis to address this abuse of taxpayers’ money.”
Mr Rahman, an ally of Ken Livingstone, was elected as an independent in 2010. He has been supported by coverage from Channel S, which broadcasts to the borough’s 80,000-strong Bangladeshi population. Ofcom has found that its coverage of Tower Hamlets breached broadcasting rules five times since 2008.
The latest censure, last month, said an advert featuring Mr Rahman misled the public. After the previous “serious breaches”, the regulator said it wanted a “significant fine”, but the station was beyond reach as its holding company had entered liquidation and re-formed under new owners.
In May last year, the council paid £12,000 to sponsor Channel S’s awards ceremony. An invoice approving the payment contains a note from Tower Hamlets director of communications Takki Sulaiman. “Please proceed with Jubair,” it reads.
Mr Jubair earns £175 a day for a three-day week. Peter Golds, leader of the local Conservative group, said: “There is a conflict of interest. Mr Jubair cannot be on the council payroll while reporting on the council.”
Mr Ferdhaus still presents shows on the channel. At Croydon crown court in 2008, he was jailed for 18 months over “crash-for-cash” bogus accidents. Tower Hamlets said: “Ofcom censured the advertisers not the council. We are considering our position in respect of future advertising.” It said Mr Jubair “supports the Mayor in fulfilling the commitments he has made to local people”.
Of the sponsorship of Channel S, the council added: “We sponsor a range of events across the community to promote council services.”
Channel S said: “Channel S Television Ltd in its present form has only been trading since the end of June 2012. Everything that you mention was prior to June 2012 and I cannot comment on it as it was under different management at that time.”