Saturday, May 24, 2008

Revolving Doors For Current And Former Jailbirds

Cllr Gul NawazIn a move reminiscent of the Soviet Union at the time of Stalin and Trotsky, disgraced ex-mayor Mohammed Choudhary has been eliminated from the history of Peterborough after his portrait was removed from its display position in the town hall by former mayor Marion Todd. Councillor Todd took the unprecedented step after Mr Choudhary, Peterborough mayor from 1996 to 1997, was jailed for rigging votes in the 2004 Peterborough City Council election. And in a simultaneous move that could not have been scripted by the most cynical observer of politics, the The Peterborough Evening Telegraph reports that Gul Nawaz - a city councillor who served a one-month jail term for a £3,000 benefit fiddle in 2002 - was elected as the town's new deputy mayor.