AN Enfield councillor accused of selling bootleg alcohol from his shop in Ealing has been cleared of all charges.

Councillor Ali Bakir was arrested in November last year when suspicion fell on alleged bogus bottles of Glenn's Vodka being sold at his shop – the Broadway International Food Centre – in West Ealing.

The 42-year-old was formally charged in February with three counts of possession of counterfeit goods, and his case was passed up from Ealing Magistrates Court to Isleworth Crown Court.

But at a hearing on May 10, Crown Prosecution Service barristers admitted the charge against Cllr Bakir was incorrect and applied to change it to a charge of evasion of duty.

The judge decided there was insufficient evidence to carry on with a prosecution of evasion of duty and the case was dismissed with the CPS offering no evidence.

In statement after the hearing, the CPS insisted Cllr Bakir's case had been “carefully reviewed at various levels and stages as part of our duty of continuous review and in line with the Code for Crown Prosecutors”.

Cllr Bakir was also awarded costs incurred during the legal proceedings.

The Labour member for Haselbury on Enfield Council was suspended from his party when news of his arrest came to light, but has now been reinstated.