After an examination into his tax issues revealed a significant violation of the ministerial code, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak dismissed Conservative Party chair Nadhim Zahawi from the cabinet on Sunday.
Zahawi, who briefly served as the finance minister at a time of political unrest in Britain last year, had his tax affairs the subject of an independent adviser investigation that Sunak had commissioned.
According to Zahawi, the British tax authorities determined that while he had been “careless” with his filings, he hadn’t made an error on purpose to avoid paying taxes.
It is evident that there has been a severe violation of the Ministerial Code, Sunak said in a letter to Zahawi after the Independent Adviser’s inquiry was finished and its results were shared with us both.
I’ve informed you that I’ve decided to have you removed from your job in His Majesty’s Government as a result.
Zahawi misled people when he said that revelations about his tax troubles in July were “obviously slander,” according to independent adviser Laurie Magnus.
Until this week, when he claimed to have struck a deal with the authorities, Zahawi did not alter the record.
“I consider that this delay in correcting an untrue public statement is inconsistent with the requirement for openness,” Magnus said in a letter to Sunak.
He added that Zahawi had shown “insufficient regard” for the requirement “to be honest, open and an exemplary leader through his own behaviour.”
“Mr. Zahawi’s conduct as a Minister has fallen below the high standards that, as Prime Minister, you rightly expect from those who serve in your government,” he said.
