A Bangladeshi TV channel's programmes were ruled illegal by Ofcom for providing favourable political coverage to the Tower of Hamlets mayor, a newspaper investigation has revealed.
Channel S did not inform and educate but promoted Lutfur Rahman, according to documents released under freedom of information laws.
Rahman was elected as an independent mayor in 2010 and has been supported by coverage from Channel S, which broadcasts to the borough’s 80,000-strong Bangladeshi population.
Ofcom has found its coverage of Tower Hamlets breached broadcasting rules five times since 2008 but is powerless to act as the channel is under new management.
The mayor employs Channel S journalist Mohammed Jubair as a personal advisor on a publicly funded salary and the council paid £12,000 to sponsor the channel's award ceremony last year.
Local government minister Brandon Lewis said: “Such actions are not just a misuse of public funds, they are harmful to local democracy and an independent, free media."
