Nick Clegg has stated that the Liberal Democrat chief secretary to the Treasury was simply “being courteous” after meeting a bogus businessman who is reported to have given the party a potentially illegal donation. Nick Clegg made this statement after meeting with the false businessman.
Ibrahim Taguri, who served as the previous main fundraiser for the Liberal Democrats, has resigned from the party following allegations that he discussed with an undercover reporter ways to circumvent laws regarding party donations.
Taguri, who was going to run for election in Brent Central, allegedly told a journalist posing as an Indian businessman from the Daily Telegraph that he could give more money to the party by pretending that some of the cash came from family members and by backdating cheques so that it appeared the money came from a previous time period. Taguri was going to run for election in Brent Central.
According to the Daily Telegraph, Taguri reportedly assured the bogus businessman that the check for £7,500 (about $11,250) that he gave over would help “open doors” for him. Once some time had passed, the undercover reporter was introduced to a number of prominent Liberal Democrat individuals, one of whom was Danny Alexander, the Chief Secretary of the Treasury.
During the operation, hidden cameras captured footage of Alexander shaking hands with the imposter donor and expressing his “very, extremely gratefulness” for the contribution.
“That really will make a difference,” he went on to say about the impact it will have on the election’s outcome.
Nick Clegg has now stated that any allegations that Alexander has committed any wrongdoing are “categorically incorrect,” and he has also stated that the party has not received or banked any checks from the bogus businessman.
Nick Clegg was shown a clip of Danny Alexander meeting the donor by the broadcaster of his weekly LBC radio phone in the programme, Nick Ferrari. Nick Clegg was a guest on the show.
His ( Nick Clegg ) response to the video was as follows: “The only thing that has been shown on the clip so far is Danny being a kind man and offering his gratitude to a person who, according to him, is helping support the party. It is completely false to suggest that Danny Alexander or any other member of parliament has engaged in any kind of improper behavior.”
Nick Clegg continued by asking, “Are you genuinely claiming that politicians like Danny Alexander are now barred from thanking and being kind to those they are told [are supporting the party]?”
Nick Clegg has stated that the party has not been in possession of the £7,500 check that was provided by the fraudulent contributor.
Ibrahim Taguri
Ibrahim Taguri expressed his conviction that he will be “cleared” of all the allegations against him. TWITTER/@IBRAHIMTAGURI
He stated that “No check has been cashed at this time.” If the cheque in question had been delivered to our office, there is no question that it would have been investigated.
Information I’ve gathered this morning suggests this check is physically present in Brent, though it has not yet been sent to the Liberal Democrats.
“Over the summer of 2017, we put in a request to have the Electoral Commission inspect and audit the procedures that we use to assess the legitimacy of these payments at the headquarters of the Liberal Democrats. They affirmed that the manner in which we carry out our duties is reasonable and adequate.
In addition, Lord Ashdown, who is in charge of the election campaign for the Liberal Democrats and who also met with the businessman, stated that the party has “certainly done nothing unlawful or unethical.”
He stated the following on the Today programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4: “We have not received any cheques, we have not accepted any cheques, and we have not banked any cheques, and before any of those things would have happened, the most rigorous checks would have been carried out as required by law and as we’ve consistently done on every other occasion.”
It is “commonplace” for donors to meet with senior members of the party, according to Ashdown, who added that any allegation that “anything more than that transpired on this occasion is false.”
Taguri has stated that he is convinced he will be “exonerated” of the allegations against him and that he will continue to run as an independent candidate for the parliamentary seat of Brent Central.
A representative for the Liberal Democrats issued the following statement: “Ibrahim Taguri has correctly stepped aside from any formal role within the party and as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Brent Central.”
“We have now brought this situation to the attention of the Electoral Commission so that they can establish whether or not any illegal activity has taken place.”
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