Former Warwick district councillor from Leamington will stand trial over alleged property income after he was made bankrupt

A former Warwick district councillor is to stand trial accused of failing to disclose ownership of a property from which he was receiving rental income after he was made bankrupt.

But because of a backlog caused by the Covid pandemic, Sukhi Sanghera’s trial, which is expected to last for five days, will not take place until January 2023.

Sanghera (52) of Kempton Crescent, Lillington, pleaded not guilty at Warwick Crown Court to failing to disclose his ownership of a property in Walsgrave Road, Coventry, during bankruptcy proceedings.

Sanghera also pleaded not guilty to failing to ‘deliver up’ the property in Walsgrave Road to the Official Receiver, and making a material omission by failing to disclose a Nationwide bank account.

In addition, he denied further charges of making an omission by failing to disclose rental income from the property, and fraud by representing to the Official Receiver that the property was held in trust for his father.

Judge Berlin said the trial, which the court heard has a time estimate of five days, could not be listed until January 30, 2023.

But adjourning the case for trial and granting Sanghera unconditional bail, he also ordered that it should be listed for a pre-trial review in June next year.

Sanghera had been elected to the district council in May 2019, but in August that year he accepted a ten-year bankruptcy restrictions undertaking.

As a result of that he was disqualified from sitting as a councillor, and a by-election for the seat was held later that year.