Biggs late to condemn fraudster

Labour’s John Biggs has spoken out about a local fraudster who has stolen £54,000 of taxpayers’ money. The man – Mustapha Bennamane – was found guilty, by a jury, of five breaches of Section 111(1A) of the Social Security and Administration Act 1992 at Snaresbrook Crown Court on 22nd July. Mr Bennamane was sentenced to 40 weeks imprisonment on each of the five offences, to run concurrently, and was ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £19,327.

John Biggs has now issued his condemnation, nearly a month after the conviction. He said, “We are committed to defending the public purse and ensuring that benefits go to those who legitimately need welfare support. I am pleased that we identified and brought to justice this serious case of fraud.”

Councillor David Edgar, Cabinet Member for Resources, added: “Stamping out fraud is a priority for us. I am pleased that the judge gave a sentence that reflected the seriousness of this case.”

The £54,000 is indeed a large sum of taxpayers’ money – only slightly less than one year’s worth of John Biggs’s salary.

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