Mr John Lyon CB,

Commissioner
Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards
House of Commons
London SW1A 0AA

Sent by post and by fax to : 020 7219 0490

June 11, 20. 09

Dear Mr Lyon,

REQUEST FOR AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE EXPENSE CLAIMS OF SHAHID

MALIK IN RELATION TO HIS CONSTITUENCY HOME

We are writing to formally ask you to investigate the circumstances regarding Shahid
Malik MP's parliamentary expenses. Despite being cleared of breaching the Ministerial
Code by Sir Philip Mawer, it has subsequently emerged that Mr Malik is unable to provide
any receipts or a written rental agreement to support his claims for the rent claimed on
his constituency home. That alone is, in our view, enough to warrant an investigation by
the Parliamentary Standards Commission, however, allegations of further expenses
controversies on the part of Mr Malik have now also come to light. There is as you know
intense public concern about this issue.

Mr Malik claimed £200 a month on his office allowances for an item listed only as “office
2″. Mr Malik confirmed in a statement last night that the money went to pay the rent for
office space at a property where he also had “living accommodation”. He said the rent
for “office 2″ was paid to the same landlord who has claimed he rented Mr Malik a house
in Dewsbury at less than market rates. This is the house Mr Malik currently designates as
his main home. Mr Malik said; “I worked from the additional office space between
Thursday and Monday and during recess periods and a member of my staff was also
based there until moving to the new offices in 2007.”

Commons documents show that Mr Malik moved from his predecessor's office in April
2006 and began claiming Commons office expenses on a new office. Mr Malik has
claimed £6,000 a year for the rent on the office in this new office since then. The same
documents show that he continued to claim for “office 2″ after he moved into his new
office and after the date when he says the last member of his staff moved to the new
office. The most recent claim for “office 2″ was made in April 2008. In a statement, Mr
Malik said he paid £46 per week for the rent on the ground floor of the property in
question. The money was paid to Yes Properties, a company owned by Tahir “Terry”
Zaman. That tenancy agreement covered only the ground floor of the property, which
Mr Malik said was entirely taken up by a fully equipped office. The upstairs of the said
building is apparently “living accommodation”. While claiming for the full allowance for a
London home, which we accept was within the rules, the question must be addressed of
whether Mr Malik was misusing his office allowances in order to subsidise his
constituency home, which would explain the below market rate rent for his home.

T : 020 7837 3312 F : 070 9201 2337 E : team@sunlight-cops.org.uk

Albion Buildings, 1 Back Hill, London, EC1R 5EN
A not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, advocating political transparency and openness.
As you know, the 'Green Book' rules for MPs’ expenses that were in place when these
claims were made, stated: “You must ensure that arrangements for your office and
surgery premises are above reproach and that there can be no grounds for a suggestion
of misuse of public money.” (5.12.1) In our view Mr Malik's arrangements were clearly
not "above reproach" and there is prima facie evidence to suggest there has been
"misuse of public money".

Yours sincerely,

Harry Cole
harry@sunlight-cops.org.uk

T : 020 7837 3312 F : 070 9201 2337 E : team@sunlight-cops.org.uk

Albion Buildings, 1 Back Hill, London, EC1R 5EN
A not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, advocating political transparency and openness.