Pakistanis commit vote fraud in the UK.
Judge attacks voting system in 'banana republic'
Hélène Mulholland and agencies
A high court judge ruled today that there had been "widespread fraud" surrounding the election of six Labour party councillors in Birmingham in last year's local elections.
Mr Mawrey finished hearing the second of two petitions raised against the councillors last month. The first petition was brought against the Bordesley Green ward representatives - Shafaq Ahmed, Shah Jahan and Ayaz Khan - by the People's Justice Party. The three men walked out of the hearing on the first day after Mr Mawrey refused an application for an adjournment to allow them further time to prepare their case.
The second petition was raised against three Aston representatives - Mohammed Islam, Muhammed Afzal and Mohammed Kazi - by local Liberal Democrat supporters.
All six councillors strenuously denied rigging the ballots and being improperly elected. During the trials, which were held at the Birmingham and Midland Institute and lasted four weeks, the court heard evidence of wholesale theft of votes in the city, with thousands of postal ballots being diverted to a "safe house" where they were filled in on an "industrial scale".
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