Milton Keynes police commander sparks controversy by enjoying barbecue at home of disgraced ex mayor

MK police commander Superintendent Gez Chiariello was pictured on Facebook standing shoulder to shoulder with taxi driver Mr Shafiq.

Both men were dressed informally and grinning at the camera.

The photo, which was hastily removed as soon as the Citzen mentioned it, comes two years after the taxi ‘rapist licensing’ scandal rocked Milton Keynes.

And it is 22 months since the Citizen handed a dossier to police containing claims that Subhan had been involved in criminal frauds concerning immigration.

There was evidence to suggest that the former councillor’s business premises were allegedly used to charge immigrants £500 to “pass” an English language test so they could be granted a British visa – without even sitting an exam.

This week police said the claims had been thoroughly investigated but no offences were identified.

They confirmed Mr Chiarello attended the barbecue and confirmed it was “hosted” by Mr Shafiq.

A police spokesman said: “Subhan Shafiq has previously represented the Muslim community on the Independent Advisory group in Milton Keynes and as such has been pivitol in providing links between police and the Muslim community in MK.”

Mr Shafiq left the police advisory group in 2014, shortly after he was forced to resign as mayor and Lib Dem councillor for MK.

The wealthy businessman and Wolverton Mosque stalwart was, at the time, a director of a motor accident claims company, a tuition centre for immigrants, and even an international aerospace company. His downfall came in August 2014, three months after he was elected mayor, when it was discovered he had given a personal reference for a friend who was a convicted RAPIST to be granted a taxi licence by the council.

‘Taxi-gate’ developed into one of the biggest stories the city has ever seen and still has repercussions in the council’s licensing department today.

A source said: “People were amazed to see the photo of Subhan and the police chief on Subhan’s public Facebook page, grinning together like old friends, for all to see.”

Citizen dossier

The file of allegations about Subhan Shafiq’s business activities was handed to police by the Citizen in October 2014.

It included detaills of at least one whistleblowers willing to talk to police. There was also a sound recording of a Citizen undercover reporter posing as a “customer” for fake certificates for workers’ visas.

Police never contacted us with a progress report on their investigation, which they now say is over.

Claims of fake immigration test papers

When Subhan Shafiq hit the headlines in 2014, sources came to the Citizen with a series of allegations against him.

These centred on an alleged immigration racket operating from a property in Wolverton, one of a portfolio of houses owned by Mr Shafiq.

One whistleblower claimed two non English speaking friends paid Mr Shafiq £1,000 for two fake language test passes.

“The certificates even looked fake because there were spelling mistakes on them,” said the source.

Rapist was allowed to become MK cab driver

Sick rapist Nadeem Kiani (pictured) was allowed to drive cabs around Milton Keynes for three years thanks to Subhan Shafiq’s character reference.

His sordid past came to light two years ago, in the year that Councillor Shafiq became mayor.

A whistleblower’s tip-off launched a full scale investigation into how one councillor’s glowingcharacter reference could seemingly override a police report detailing Kiani’s crimes.

The report explained how Kiani received an eight-year prison sentence in 1994 for threatening women with weapons,forcing them to remove their clothes and raping or seriously secually assaulting them.

It described how Kiani and his co-defendants would pick up prostitutes in a car. One of the men would hide in the back of the vehicle, while the other negotiated a price with the prostitute. The accomplice would then come out of hiding and the attack would begin.

Mr Shafiq has always insisted he did not know about Kiani’s past.