Kiwi-Indian candidate implicated in alleged Auckland city council voting scam

WELLINGTON - An Indian origin man, Daljit Singh, who is a Labour candidate running for the Papatoetoe local boards, has been named as one of two men charged over an alleged voting scam in New Zealand.

Singh, a real estate agent and chairman of the Supreme Sikh Council of New Zealand, has been charged with forgery to influence the Auckland super-city council election.

According to Stuff.co.nz, Labour Party President Andrew Little said “swift disciplinary action” could be taken against Singh, if he was found guilty of the alleged fraud.

“There is no tolerance in our party for conduct that undermines the integrity of the electoral process. If it is established that Mr Singh has acted in this way then he can expect swift disciplinary action, including having his Party membership removed from him,” Little added.

Singh has been a member of the Labour Party since May 2010.

The name of the other man who was jointly charged with Singh remains suppressed.

Last month, authorities removed the names of 306 people from the electoral rolls after an electoral enrolment centre audit discovered they did not live at the houses stated in Papatoetoe. About 48 voters were reportedly enrolled in one house.

Singh, however, claimed that he was falsely charged by other super-city candidates and refused to pull out of the race.

On the local council website, Singh said: ” I am Daljit Singh, a Papatoetoe resident for the past 17 years. I believe my New Zealand experiences as a justice of the peace, marriage celebrant and as a regular volunteer at the Papatoetoe Citizens Advice Bureau provide me with an excellent basis for representing the views of local residents on the community board”.

Earlier, Detective Inspector Mark Gutry said the investigation was expected to continue after the arrests of Singh and the other man and added that there could be more people connected in the alleged fraud case. (ANI)