August 10, 2010

Griffin accused of fraud by former BNP legal officer

The British National Party’s legal officer Lee Barnes (left)has resigned, citing a list of complaints including an allegation of potential fraud against the party leader Nick Griffin and his right-hand man, the convicted criminal Jim Dowson.

His resignation comes on the last day for receipt of nominations for Eddy Butler’s leadership challenge against Griffin and follows suspensions of several of Butler’s supporters. Butler needs the signatures of 840 people with at least 24 calendar months’ membership of the fascist party for an election for chairman to go ahead, but the support of suspended members will not count.

Barnes, who has a degree in law but is not a practising solicitor or barrister, has joined a growing list of BNP members who oppose the takeover of the party by Dowson, who is not even a member. “Jim Dowson now controls the BNP membership database, the BNP donor database, the BNP treasury department, the BNP subscriptions operation, the BNP media & communications operation and the BNP website,” writes Barnes in his long letter of resignation, which is free of his usual inane and extremist ranting. “This is completely unacceptable and legally questionable.”

Pointing out that Griffin does not have the power to move party assets into the hands of a non-member, he declares: “If party assets have been moved out of the party and into companies owned by Jim Dowson by Nick Griffin then this is potentially defined as ‘Fraud by abuse of position’ and is defined by Section 4 of the Fraud Act 2006. This is such a case where a person occupies a position where they are expected to safeguard the financial interests of another person such as BNP members, and abuses that position; this includes cases where the abuse consisted of an omission rather than an overt act.

“In such cases of potential fraud, it requires that for an offence to have occurred, the person must have acted dishonestly, and that they had to have acted with the intent of making a gain for themselves or anyone else, or inflicting a loss (or a risk of loss) on another. The fact that such issues may have potentially arisen means the party is at serious risk of investigation and prosecution,” says Barnes.

Barnes is also incensed at the party’s failure to investigate allegations by Shelley Rose, a young activist, that Dowson sexually assaulted her when they were away on party business and Dowson allegedly failed to book a separate hotel room for her. Barnes says he called on Griffin to initiate a “full and transparent investigation”, but Griffin ignored him.

“The BNP cannot ever be seen as a party that protects perverts or a party that refuses to address allegations of such a serious nature from a female member,” asserts Barnes.

“If Jim Dowson was found guilty of bringing the party into disrepute, Gross Misconduct and sexual assault,” continues Barnes, “then he should have been dismissed and sacked from all party offices he holds.

“Instead what has happened is that Shelley Rose has been suspended, no investigation has been initiated and no sanction applied against Jim Dowson.”

Barnes accuses Griffin and Dowson of repeatedly breaking “the most obvious of laws”, resulting in “hundreds of thousands of pounds … squandered on avoidable court cases”. As well as the matters often mentioned by Butler – the use of the Marmite image, the Equalities Commission action and the unlawful dismissal from employment of Michaela Mackenzie – he reveals that the unlawful use of stock images from a photoshop company during the European election also resulted in legal action against the party.

Showing his displeasure at being sidelined by Griffin, he complains that: “Legal issues that were once dealt with internally within the party have been ‘outsourced’ from the party to individuals paid by Jim Dowson and Nick Griffin, resulting in the parties internal legal affairs no longer being scrutinised or run by the BNP Legal Unit,” which he headed.

Like others, Barnes has been threatened with violence by Dowson, whom he accuses of being “a convicted criminal, with links to Loyalist terrorism and terrorists with a string of failed companies to his name who bought his ‘reverend’ title off of the internet”. When Barnes complained to Griffin about the suspension of Peter Mullins, the party’s former South West regional organiser, he “was threatened by Jim Dowson with violence for putting the parties legal interests first as he was the person pushing Nick Griffin to expel Peter Mullins and others. …

“It appears that when Jim Dowson doesn’t get what he wants he likes to threaten people with his connections to loyalist killers and terrorists in Northern Ireland in order to intimidate people into doing his bidding.”

Barnes points out that Griffin acted unlawfully in his move last Friday to suspend a long list of party members who support Butler. “Unfortunately, as the Peter Mullins case revealed, Nick Griffin thinks the law as regards the unlawful expulsion of members does not apply to him, even though he was shown by the courts during the John Tyndall case [when Griffin tried to expel his predecessor as party leader] that the law does apply to the BNP.

“The decision yesterday to unlawfully suspend dozens of activists simply for them standing against Nick Griffin in the leadership contest is the action of utterly irresponsible incompetents.”

As the BNP constitution was rewritten specifically to ensure that no one can ever remove Griffin as party leader, explains Barnes, Griffin is “tactically inept” in suspending Butler’s supporters as they “can now launch new legal actions against the party.

“The law is clear. BNP members have a constitutionally protected right to stand for party leadership. To suspend them for doing so is unlawful. The way they have been suspended is also unlawful.

“I have no doubt that they will now unite to form a class action against the party thereby incurring more legal costs and damages against an already virtually bankrupt party whose debts far outweigh its income,” declares Barnes.

Explaining his resignation, Barnes writes: “I cannot remain as the Legal Officer of a party that acts unlawfully towards its own members, that rewards years of party loyalty with unlawful suspensions and expulsions, that covers up serious allegations of sexual abuse by senior officers, that expels long standing members who ask for financial transparency within the party and that refuses to act to protect its own officers when they are threatened with violence by other senior officers.

“Such a political party cannot be trusted with political power in our society.

“If I stay on within such a party then it will appear as though I am supporting and condoning such actions,” concludes Barnes, no doubt mindful of the legal consequences of remaining the party’s legal officer.

Butler’s blog lists 31 people who have been suspended or expelled, or have resigned in anticipation of being suspended. The comments to his post add several other names and many people write they will leave the party or do nothing for it while Griffin remains in charge.

Butler also reveals that “due to the collapse of the party’s finances, approaching £100,000 worth of General Election expenses have still not been paid” in contravention of electoral law, which sets a stringent time limit on the payment of election expenses.

Furthermore, says Butler, the party’s candidates and agents were “lied to by the leadership” and wrongfully stated on their own election returns that all expenses have been paid, leaving them liable to a fine or imprisonment.

The expenses are apparently owed to printers and courier firms that transported the party’s election leaflets. Although, writes Butler, “our branches, groups and regions paid had the necessary funds in their accounts to meet these expenses … Head Office has stolen this money to pay for the bloated central bureaucracy – particularly to pay for the over staffed and highly costly Belfast operation [Dowson’s call centre] and also to pay for the court cases which we are embroiled in due to Nick Griffin’s incompetence and irresponsibility.”

According to Barnes, donations have dried up and the party is “technically insolvent”. However Griffin and Dowson will not suffer. “If the party is made bankrupt then the BNP membership as a whole will be directly financially liable for its outstanding debts as an unincorporated association and not Nick Griffin or Jim Dowson.

“This is because Nick Griffin has no assets and Jim Dowsons financial assets are probably hidden away in some Spanish or Swiss bank account outside the UK.”

Whether or not Butler gets enough nominations to continue with his leadership challenge, it seems that the BNP is unlikely to recover from the effects of the serious financial mismanagement of the party and the revelations that have emerged over the past few weeks.

Sonia Gable at HOPE not hate

29 comments:

AndyMinion said...

And another revalation that would normally keep L.U going for weeks, but, in this climate, is just another one to add to the pile.

Listen; I've got to go pop out of the office for a bit - someone text me if anything else happens today: i.e Griffin explodes / Dowson finds himself in armed siege with fraud squad / Butler declared new Chair without a contest / Godzilla attacks Nantyglo...

Try me. I'm prepared to believe anything at the moment!

Anonymous said...

AndyMinion,

Richard Barnbrook isnt gay,


"Try me. I'm prepared to believe anything at the moment!"

Anonymous said...

would like to know if Lee Barnes thought all the other suspensions over the years were unlawful

Anonymous said...

heres a few for yer andy,

charlote lewis is attractive.

clive jefferson is hard working

martin reynolds is slim fit and attractive.


martin webster lies about griffins past.


martin wingfield isnt boring.

mark collette is popular, capable and gifted.

Anonymous said...

this waitings getting to me, when do we know if butler's got enough backers or nnot?

Anonymous said...

Well you could have knocked me down with a feather reading this.

You see what happens when Lee Barnes sticks to his medication (this must have taken a hell of a lot of work by Butler and his team) you actually get for once a coherent legal opinion.

For Griffin and Dowson to have so p......d off Lee Barnes is a very real dangerous move. This will cost them big time.

tulip

Anonymous said...

"Like others, Barnes has been threatened with violence by Dowson, whom he accuses of being “a convicted criminal, with links to Loyalist terrorism and terrorists..."

Dowson uses the fact that he's an Ulsterman to intimidate mainland BNP members.

In Ulster it's hard to find somebody who isn't "linked" to "Terrorism" (my Cousin's friend's brother-in-law drinks in a Loyalist sheebeen don't ya know!). The idea that what's left of the paramilitary groups would do anything on the say-so of Dowson is laughable.

Anonymous said...

Hey Andy!

Guess what?

Mark Collett isn't a pedo afterall

Anonymous said...

Andy,

Nick Griffin has opened the accounts and they're as clean as a whistle.

The BNP own all their assets, run at a profit and are swimming in cashflow.

Oh, I almost forgot...

Jim Dowson really is an Industry Expert afterall.

Anonymous said...

OK up against for more worth brains and talent on here can I please put forward my theory of just what could happen today.

Griffin/Dowson I would assume has been kept fully up to date on what is happening, both on the ground abut also on forums and blogs up and down the country.

He will see (if he is not a totally blind fool) that the tide has totally turned against him.

So, one way out is for him to come charging out on his white horse and declaring that all that has happened to his party while he was on holiday had been done by Jefferson totally unauthorised by him as Chairman, Jefferson in partnership with the Green Arrow, both working for the state had taken advantage of his holiday to wreck his beloved party.

Of course he has no problem at all with a challenge for leadership, and of course the election must go ahead.

Brons is the right man for the job says Griffin, a safe pair of hands.

Now he comes to the question of Dowson, he has discovered that Dowson is a state plant set to wreck his beloved party, although he realises this is a very late discovery he has acted immediately and sacked Dowson.

He pledges to fall in line with all of the requests laid down by Lee Barnes immediately.

He with a bowed head and his hand on his heart apologizes to the members, but states that he was so busy taking up his role as an MEP that he failed to see the state plot.

Well thats 1 scenario, personally I prefer the second where he and Dowson stick 2 fingers up at the BNP membership, tells them the bank accounts are empty, in fact they as members are responsible for half a million £££s worth of debt.

He will continue as a MEP (and there is nothing they can do about it) he and Dowson will allign themselves with far right parties in Europe, and when he needs to will form a branch of a strong European party in the UK and get re elected to the EU.

So up yours and bye bye Griffin/Dowson.


tulip

Landale said...

tulip,

I'll bet a packet of choc ices you,re right - certainly Griffo sticking two fingers up and I suspect never coming back to the UK! :-)

One thing, is the BNP an 'unincorporated' association and might the creditors go after last man standing?

John P said...

Landale said...
One thing, is the BNP an 'unincorporated' association and might the creditors go after last man standing?

4:27 PM, August 10, 2010
It appears to be an unincorporated association and it certainly was back in Tyndalls day.
Butler made it clear that the leadership and advisory council were liable for the debts at the start of his campaign which is more than likely why Darby resigned. He saw the writing on the wall and did a runner.

Anonymous said...

Dowson is at the centre of all this. I reckon Griffin will "win" any leadership contest and ditch Dowson in order for him to keep the party structure intact.

The cause of all this is Griffin's appalling lack of financial sense. Like most politicians Griffin's never had what could be called a real job and his attempts at business in the early 90's were a disaster with him having to be bailed out by his parents. When the BNP went through a period of fairly sustained growth between 2001 and 2008, desperate people were donating a lot of money and the BNP was fairly solvent. The $ signs were flashing in Griffin's eyes and he was tempted by slick 'get-rich-quick' merchants like Dowson with his PowerPoint presentations and promises of personal enrichment. Dowson consciously targeted Griffin's vulnerability and greed. While the BNP were relatively successful then the cracks could be papered over but when the party's fortunes started to decline they opened up like a chasm. Griffin thought that the leadership contest would go the same way as the others forgetting that these previous ones took place when the party was on the up. Now the circumstances are changed. To quote a line from "Goodfellas", "Your enemies come for you when you're at your weakest".

The best course of action would be to 'make nice' with the rebels and ditch Dowson. We're in for a interesting few weeks.

Anonymous said...

"which is more than likely why Darby resigned. He saw the writing on the wall and did a runner."

But hes still a member surely?

John P said...

Anonymous said...

"which is more than likely why Darby resigned. He saw the writing on the wall and did a runner."

But hes still a member surely?

He is still a member but not an official and member of the advisory council. That went when he resigned as deputy.
That's my understanding but I could be wrong.

Anonymous said...

"Darby ...saw the writing on the wall and did a runner"

He's the cleverest one of the lot and the only one to emerge out of all this unscathed.

Ben Trunch said...

Gri££in crowing on the BNP site that he expelled Barnes over Barnes' endorsement of the EDL.

Took PigPen a while to dream that one up.

The BNP are finished now, imploding, bankrupt (financially and morally). Who will take their place? The proscribed EDL?

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Another one purged by Griffin said...

"He's the cleverest one of the lot and the only one to emerge out of all this unscathed."

Intriguing hey..not the cleverest by a country mile but he is the most well informed of them all but his money comes from (ahem) "other sources". He wont remain totally unscathed because he is a named claimant on several pending court cases. He might be able to worm his way out of some future costs but any costs incured to the date he resigned as Deputy are his and his to pay. He took Griffin under his wing and protected him when it mattered most to Darby's paymasters (the State) but when Griffin's greed showed it becaem obvious the State had no need to protect Griffin. He will shortly find he is very well and truly on his own and there is no one to help him, apart from the gallant green marrow, but who really wants help from a mouldering old vegetable with as much communications skills as a fungal infected turnip?

John P said...

To all those that are asking if Griffin has been arrested he has just used his twitter account

Kev Scott loves The Jam said...

"which is more than likely why Darby resigned. He saw the writing on the wall and did a runner."

have you read Derby's blog recently.... looks like he started taking whatever Loony Lee has stopped taking!!

Anonymous said...

its rumoured that darby resignation had something to do with his alleged affair with Shelley Rose. Ive heard this from a few people now.

Maybe he knew what was coming with Dowson and didnt want it happening to him too?

Landale said...

"have you read Derby's blog recently.... looks like he started taking whatever Loony Lee has stopped taking!!"

Looking at the stuff he puts in I do wonder wheth he has a ghost writer?

Anonymous said...

"his alleged affair with Shelley Rose"

It's like a friggin Soap Opera!

Anonymous said...

"Looking at the stuff he puts in I do wonder whether he has a ghost writer?"

Some wet-behind-the-ears Cambridge grad just recruited into F branch, perhaps ?!

Landale said...

"Butler made it clear that the leadership and advisory council were liable for the debts at the start of his campaign which is more than likely why Darby resigned"

My gut feeling is that, in 'last man standing' it is ALL members who can be pursued, AC or not.

I expect Griffo et al have all their assets in partner or nominee names so it will be the ordinary member who could be taxed at so much in the pound!

Anonymous said...

"I expect Griffo et al have all their assets in partner or nominee names"

I thought that Griffin doesn't actually own anything of substance, short of the clothes he stands up in. Everything is in his wife's name.

Landale said...

"I thought that Griffin doesn't actually own anything of substance, short of the clothes he stands up in. Everything is in his wife's name"

I guess dead right,the Land Registry might confirm that?

Anonymous said...

Can you see a new party forming? I've been told there is a plan B.