A tax conviction against Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has been formally withdrawn after the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) requested the case be dismissed. The matter was reopened and marked as withdrawn at Hereford Justice Centre on Thursday.
A legal advisor informed the magistrates that the DVLA had requested the original matter be withdrawn, noting the case had been widely publicized. The chairwoman of the bench accepted the DVLA's request and marked the case as withdrawn.
Khan had previously been convicted in his absence last month and ordered to pay a £220 fine, £85 in costs, and settle a £35.84 bill for unpaid tax on a Nissan Micra. Court documents indicated that letters concerning the unpaid road tax had been sent to a restaurant owned by Gordon Ramsay in east London, rather than to the mayor's correct address.
According to the DVLA, a letter requesting confirmation of the car owner's identity, which was dispatched to the incorrect address, went unanswered in January. This failure to respond led to a criminal prosecution being initiated on August 18, as no plea had been entered to the charge.
A representative for the mayor stated that the DVLA would investigate the circumstances of the car's false registration. The conviction was withdrawn following the identification of this administrative error.