London, May 29
Boris Johnson, the favourite to replace Theresa May as British Prime Minister, must appear in court over allegations he lied about Brexit by stating Britain would be £350 million a week better off outside the EU, a judge ruled on Wednesday.
The figure, famously emblazoned on a campaign bus, was a central and controversial part of the Leave campaign’s successful "take back control" message ahead of the 2016 Brexit referendum.
Opponents argued that it was deliberately misleading and it became symbolic of the divisions caused by the referendum, which saw Britons vote by 52%-48% to leave the European Union.
District Judge Margot Coleman ruled that Johnson, a former British foreign secretary and ex-mayor of London, must answer a private summons alleging he had committed three criminal offences of misconduct in a public office. In her written ruling at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Coleman said the accusations were not proven.
But she added: "Having considered all the relevant factors I am satisfied that this is a proper case to issue the summons as requested for the three offences as drafted.
"This means the proposed defendant will be required to attend this court for a preliminary hearing, and the case will then be sent to the Crown Court for trial," she said.
Johnson’s spokesman was not immediately available for comment, but his lawyers had argued that the case was no more than a stunt by those opposed to Brexit and an attempt to use criminal law to regulate the content of political debate for the first time in English legal history.
He was one of the leading supporters of Brexit during the 2016 vote and quit the government over May’s EU divorce deal which parliament rejected three times, leading her to announce she would step down as party leader on June 7.
Misconduct in a public office carries a maximum sentence of life in prison and if he were found guilty, it could spell the end of Johnson’s political career. — Reuters
‘Criminal law can’t regulate political speech’
It is not the role of criminal law to regulate political speech, a source close to Boris Johnson was quoted as saying by a Daily Mail reporter, as Johnson faces court over his comments on Brexit. "The decision to summon Boris Johnson is extraordinary. It is not the role of criminal law to regulate political speech," the source said, according to Daily Mail deputy political editor John Stevens on Twitter.
from The Tribune http://bit.ly/2HJTwCA
via Today’s News Headlines
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