Mayor's aide admits Jasper broke law
London: A senator member of the Mayor's team on Thursday admitted that Lee Jasper broke City Hall rules.
John Ross told the London Assembly that Jasper - who quit last night as race adviser - had breached Greater London Authority guidelines.
Ross, the Mayor's economics adviser, said Jasper had not declared he was on the board of equalities organisation Equanomics UK.
The body was "incubated" by the 1990 Trust, an organisation founded by Jasper that has received more than £100,000 (Dh740,000) in City Hall funding. Jasper resigned over sexually charged emails he sent to Karen Chouhan, a married mother-of-three who is company secretary of the 1990 Trust. The Mayor insists Jasper has done nothing wrong and has promised to reinstate him.
Conflict of interests
It came after months of pressure over £3.8 million paid by the London Development Agency to groups linked to Jasper or his associates.
Ross criticised Jasper for holding external directorships, alongside his position as race and equalities adviser to the Mayor, that could appear to be a conflict of interests. His public admission is the first sign of a public split within Livingstone's inner circle over whether Jasper had done anything wrong. Ross told the Assembly: "What did come to light was that an enquiry was received regarding a company called Equanomics of an undeclared interest.
"When it was brought up I found out it was not on the register of interests, I thought that was not correct and I contacted Lee Jasper to say that I expected there must be a full declaration of interests, that I was surprised it was not the case."
He added that no money had been paid to the organisation by City Hall since Jasper became chair on September 26 last year but that a breach had nevertheless occurred.
In an apparent criticism of his former colleague's actions, Ross said: "I don't believe that people who have positions [in the GLA] should have interests in regards to them. I think they should declare all matters. My actual personal view is that directors of the GLA should not be holding directorships, companies and so on.
"If there are exceptional circumstances that require them to do so I think permission for that should be given by somebody other than the Mayor."
- Evening Standard
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