Balram Sampla
Geopolitics
Geopolitics
(Asian independent) Labour councillor Gurbachan Singh Athwal, 75, of Southall, has been charged with fraud by abuse of position. The charge relates to his time as treasurer of Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall, a charity that runs the two largest gurdwaras in the area. Police say the role spanned around eight years. He was charged by postal requisition on 25 September, after a voluntary interview in October 2025.
This type of fraud is set out in the Fraud Act 2006. It doesn’t involve lying to get something. It applies when someone is trusted to look after another person’s or organisation’s money and is accused of dishonestly misusing that trust. A charity treasurer is a classic example. To convict, prosecutors must show that the person held such a position and acted dishonestly. They must also show the person intended to make a gain or cause a loss. Police haven’t said publicly what money is involved or what the allegations specifically are.
Mr Athwal was first elected to represent Heston East in May 2026. Labour has since suspended him from its group on Hounslow Council. That cost the party its one-seat majority, leaving it with 31 of 62 seats. He remains a councillor, because disqualification only follows a conviction and a sentence above a statutory threshold. He was also listed as a trustee of the charity on the Charity Commission register a week after he was charged.
Mr Athwal denies wrongdoing. He says the allegations are part of a concerted effort to defame him, and that he is taking part fully in the process of clearing his name. He accepts his suspension as an administrative step. He is due at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court on 27 October, and is presumed innocent unless a court finds otherwise.
Reference
1.https://dazzlingdawn.com/2026/10/03/hounslow-councillor-gurdwara-fraud-charges
2.https://britbrief.co.uk/crime/fraud/hounslow-labour-councillor-charged-with-fraud.html
3.https://uk.news.yahoo.com/labour-loses-control-another-london-140040488.html
4.https://londoncrimenews.co.uk/courts/hounslow-councillor-charged-with-fraud
