FORMER deputy leader of Sandwell Council Mahboob Hussain has failed in his latest attempt to delay a council investigation into alleged wrongdoing.

The Oldbury councillor’s claim for a judicial review against the council was thrown out by Mr Justice Green at the High Court in London this morning (June 29), who said the allegations against Cllr Hussain should now be investigated properly.

Cllr Hussain had been expected to appear before the council’s standards committee in August 2016 and councillors were planning to grill him about allegations before a previous High Court judge ruled in his favour for a stay of proceedings.

But today’s decision means the authority are now free to investigate the claims that Cllr Hussain abused his position on the council to secure the sale of land to a close associate for just £35,000 when he knew it had been valued at £130,000, and that he wrongly secured the cancellation of parking tickets and reduction of parking fines issued to members of his family.

Cllr Hussain’s latest claim for a judicial review was launched following the council’s decision to publish the Gowling WLG, formerly Wragge & Co, and James Goudie QC reports, which he said were "highly damaging professionally and personally" to himself and his family.

The reports, which included details of wrongdoing at the council over a period of years, were published in May last year.

During the latest review claim, Cllr Hussain was said to have launched a “wide-ranging attack” on the power of Sandwell Council to conduct investigations of the alleged wrongdoing after the reports were released, arguing the investigation was – and remains – “flawed and unlawful” because it is “infected by bias, politically motivated, oppressive, irrational and unreasonable”.

But Mr Justice Green rejected Cllr Hussain’s accusations, saying the decision to publish the reports were “fully justified and in the public interest”, ordering the stay on all proceedings be lifted.

Following the hearing, Jan Britton, chief executive of Sandwell Council, said: “We welcome the judgment that the claim for a judicial review has been rejected in totality and that the council’s case has been vindicated.

“Now legal issues have come to a conclusion, the council is able to proceed with its standards process.”

Cllr Hussain has been contacted by the News for comment.