A PROMINENT SNP councillor accused of lying in court by a sheriff is facing deselection.
Dr Imtiaz Majid, who had been tipped for Westminster, will be blocked from standing as an SNP candidate at next May’s local elections, party sources have indicated.
The North Lanarkshire councillor was severely criticised by a sheriff over his testimony during divorce proceedings earlier this year.
Read more: SNP councillor fabricated evidence in divorce case, sheriff finds
As the Herald revealed on Monday, Sheriff Morag Galbraith concluded Dr Majid had lied and fabricated evidence in an attempt to deny his wife Uzma a fair settlement.
After Uzma fled to a woman’s refuge, he hid assets, pretended to cut his ties to former business interests, and claimed to have gambled away a fortune in order to plead poverty.
Sheriff Galbraith said some of his evidence was “complete fabrication” and “totally incredible”.
She also criticised his two brothers, Sarfraz and Asif, who tried to back up Dr Majid’s evidence in court, labelling all three brothers “evasive” and not “credible at all”.
Read more: SNP councillor fabricated evidence in divorce case, sheriff finds
She ordered Dr Majid to pay Uzma £150,000 to correct the "economic imbalance" in the marriage.
Dr Majid almost became the MP for Coatbridge, Chryston & Bellshill last year after being endorsed by the then SNP cabinet secretaries Alex Neil and Keith Brown.
However he failed vetting, and the seat was won by the SNP’s Phil Boswell instead.
Now Dr Majid faces the loss of his £16,000-a-year job as a Coatbridge South councillor too.
It is understood the SNP hierarchy now regard him as a liability.
Central Scotland Tory MSP Graham Simpson: “This is a blistering judgement on an elected representative. The SNP would do well to consider Dr Majid’s suitability for election next year. If they don’t, I trust the electors of Coatbridge will send him packing.”
A Labour spokesman said Coatbridge & Chryston MSP Fulton MacGregor, who nominated Dr Majid to chair the SNP’s Coatbridge branch, “should clarify if he is going to endorse him in the council elections."
Read more: SNP councillor fabricated evidence in divorce case, sheriff finds
John Wilson, a former SNP MSP who knew Mr Majid, and is now planning to stand as a Green council candidate in Coatbridge, said: “If he was prepared to mislead or lie to the courts, it begs the question of whether he’s a suitable person to act as a councillor.”
An SNP spokesman said: "We understand Dr Majid intends to appeal so it would be inappropriate to comment."
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