London Mayor Sadiq Khan has been fined after being found guilty in a case involving an allegedly untaxed vehicle. The case relates to a 24-year-old Nissan Micra, with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) bringing proceedings over unpaid vehicle tax.
A magistrate found Khan guilty in his absence and ordered him to pay a £220 fine, along with £85 in court costs. He has also been ordered to pay £35.84 in outstanding vehicle tax.
However, questions have since emerged over the circumstances surrounding the case. Officials at City Hall said the Nissan Micra involved in the proceedings is not owned by either Sadiq Khan or Transport for London (TfL).
The DVLA has reportedly begun reviewing the circumstances of both the prosecution and the resulting conviction. The review follows concerns about whether the vehicle’s registration details were correctly recorded.
Court documents reportedly show that correspondence connected with the case was sent to a Gordon Ramsay restaurant rather than to the mayor’s office. This has raised further questions about whether the relevant records contained incorrect information.
Khan’s conviction was issued under the controversial Single Justice Procedure, a system under which magistrates can deal with certain lower-level offences in private without the defendant initially appearing in court. The procedure has faced wider scrutiny over its handling of minor cases.
Following the emergence of the case, the DVLA has launched an investigation into the possibility of an incorrect vehicle registration entry.
