Former mayoral candidate ‘cheated the vulnerable and elderly’
A former mayoral candidate cheated ‘the vulnerable and elderly’ out of tens of thousands of pounds, a court heard.
Kamran Malik, 59, allegedly ‘held himself out’ as a solicitor as he cheated an alleged victim out of more than £51,000 after meeting her through his political work.
The money had been a life insurance payment the victim was meant to be receiving after a friend had died but Malik pocketed the money and denied any cheating and ‘fobbed her off’, Snaresbrook Crown Court heard.
Malik later pocketed more than £12,000 rent on the property of the flat of the same deceased woman, it was said.
He also committed fraud by falsely claiming he owned a propety belonging to another man, Derek Jeffreys, the court heard.
Malik, of Plaistow, east London, is standing trial alongside Adila Farnaz, 50, who denies laundering £30,000.
Malik, the founder of the Communities United Party, stood for the Newham mayoralty in 2014, coming fifth.
Martin Hooper, prosecuting, told Snaresbrook Crown Court that Malik acted ‘as a legal advisor who took advantage of vulnerable people, the elderly etc.
‘Farnaz’s role in this was to launder some of the money.’
‘Mr Malik held himself out to be a solicitor but wasn’t one,’ he added.
Jurors heard Malik befriended Ms Cydatty Bogie, who was active in local politics, and arranged a deed of trust between her and her friend Cynthia Smart.
The deed stated Ms Bogie would be the beneficiary of Miss Smart’s estate in the event of her death.
‘We say he did that dishonestly with a view for gaining for himself and depriving her [Ms Bogie] ultimately of it.’
Malik made a claim on Miss Smart’s life insurance which was supposed to be paid to Ms Bogie but was instead paid to Mr Malik’s company account.
‘He tried to cover his tracks by paying a large chunk of it to Ms Farnaz,’ Mr Hooper said.
In a further fraud, he rented out Cynthia Smart’s property at Royal Crescent, Redbridge and took more than £12,000 rent for himself.
Mr Hooper said that both Miss Smart and Ms Bogie are dead, with Ms Bogie dying in March 2022.
But Ms Bogie gave an interview to police and said her best friend was Cynthia who she had known for 30 years and she had helped her financially, the court heard.
Cynthia said she would leave all her property to Ms Bogie when she died, Mr Hooper said.
‘Sadly Cynthia Smart committed suicide so her estate became a relevant issue in this case,’ Mr Hooper said.
‘Ms Bogie had known Malik 8-9 years, getting to know him when he began running for Mayor, she was involved in local politics and wanted to help him.
‘In her mind, he held himself out as a solicitor and worked in an office.’
After her friend committed suicide, Ms Bogie went to Mr Malik for help. Malik told her to bring papers related to her, which included paper work about Ms Smart’s life insurance, the court heard.
Mr Hooper said that Ms Bogie concluded Malik must have contacted the insurance company, as she had not.
When Ms Bogie confronted him about it, ‘he tried to fob her off’, Mr Hooper said.
Malik denies four counts of fraud between August 14, 2017 and November 12, 2020.
Farnaz, of Beckton, denies one count of transferring criminal property and one count of transferring criminal property both on August 21, 2017
The trial continues.
ends
