Former Sandwell Council deputy Mahboob Hussain hit with £140k legal bill
A former deputy leader of Sandwell Council has been ordered to pay costs of nearly £140,000 after a failed legal battle against the authority.
Mahboob Hussain launched a judicial review against the council over its decision to publish the Wragge report, which outlined allegations that he had abused his position as a councillor.
After losing the judicial review in June 2017 Mr Hussain paid a proportion of the council’s costs, and last week the authority returned to court to reclaim the balance of its legal fees.
Mr Hussain said he is happy to pay the costs, which he says are £43,000 less than the amount the council originally asked for. He also said he was considering possible further legal action against the authority.
The matter was heard by Master Nagalingam at the Royal Courts of Justice in London on April 30 and May 1.
The court ordered Mr Hussain to pay a total of £139,292.47 in costs, interest and court fees, including £50,000 he has already paid towards the council’s legal bill.
He is expected to be ordered to pay the outstanding amount over the next two weeks.
Mr Hussain quit as a councillor in Oldbury prior to last week's local elections but was present at the count at the Tipton Sports Academy.
He has always denied any wrongdoing. He told the Express & Star: "I am pleased with the decision of the court, which has reduced the cost of what the council was asking by around 35 per cent.
"New information has come to light recently that opens up the possibility of me taking further legal action against the council. I am currently in discussions with my lawyers over the issue."
In January, the council’s standards sub-committee found that Mr Hussain pushed through the sale of three public toilets well below their market value to a family friend in 2011/12.
He was also found to have instructed officers to reduce or cancel three parking tickets for family members.
The sub-committee, which ruled in Mr Hussain's absence, said that he had breached the members’ code of conduct 12 times. As punishment he was ordered to attend training sessions in property transactions.
The allegations were originally brought to light in the Wragge report, which the council commissioned independently to examine allegations of dodgy property deals.
It was revealed earlier this year that the report and subsequent legal proceedings in relation to the report cost the public purse £579,384.
A police investigation into the allegations was closed without any action being taken.
