Chief witness in Ali Dizaei case is arrested for benefit fraud

The saga of former borough commander continued this week when the central witness in the case against jailed Ali Dizaei was arrested on suspicion of benefit fraud.

Doubts were already raised about the real identity of Waad Al-Baghdadi, the man Dizaei was found guilty of attacking.

Al-Baghdadi's arrest came day before Dizaei's scheduled High Court challenge against his conviction. Dizaei's appeal is based on a claim that Al-Baghdadi gave a false identity under oath in court.

The Former Borough Commander of Hounslow and Hammersmith & Fulham and a once regular face on the Chiswick High Road, was jailed for four years in February 2010 for misconduct and perverting the course of justice after he was found guilty of attacking and falsely arresting a web designer in 2008 outside Yas Persian Restaurant in Hammersmith Road.

An appeal was launched against the conviction when new evidence came to light casting doubt on the identity of Waad Al-Baghdadi, the man Dizaei was found guilty of attacking.

Documents seen by BBC News suggested Mr al-Baghdadi's real name is Vaed Maleki and that he was born in Tehran, Iran, in 1983. This contradicts statements Mr al-Baghdadi gave to the Independent Police Complaints Commission and evidence he gave under oath in court.

During the trial Mr Al-Baghdadi described Dizaei as an "Iranian gangster", similar to the character of Tony Montana in the film Scarface and said people were too scared to give evidence against him.

March 22, 2011