Johnson’s leadership ambitions hit snag

Bloomberg

Boris Johnson’s leadership ambitions were dealt an embarrassing setback when a London judge ruled that he must attend court to face allegations of misconduct in public office.
Conservative Party favourite Johnson will face a preliminary hearing and then a criminal trial, District Judge Margot Coleman said on Wednesday, allowing an unprecedented private prosecution attempt to proceed against the politician.
Johnson will be required to answer accusations that he made false claims about British spending on the European Union, she said.
“Whether the prosecution ultimately succeeds against Mr Johnson is perhaps less important than the symbolic value of today’s events,” Andrew Smith, a lawyer at Corker Binning, said. “Any person, whether holding high office or not, can rapidly become a defendant in a criminal prosecution.”
It normally takes three to four weeks after a court summons is issued for an individual to appear.
No date has yet been set for Johnson’s appearance.
The attempt to privately prosecute Johnson is an embarrassment for the politician, coming shortly after he launched his bid to succeed Theresa May as Tory leader and prime minister.
“The allegations which have been made are unproven accusations and I do not make any findings of fact,” the judge said.
The charges can only be dealt with in a higher criminal court, Coleman said.
Campaigner Marcus Ball is trying to bring charges against the lawmaker over his “infamous” claim that the UK sent $442 million per week to the EU — one of the central tenets of the 2016 Brexit campaign. Ball’s legal team said that Johnson had acted in a “irresponsible and dishonest” manner and engaged in criminal behaviour.
Johnson’s lawyer Adrian Darbishire said at an earlier hearing that it is “absolutely denied that he acted in an improper or dishonest manner at any time.”