Vaz, the asylum tycoon and ‘freebies in a Mayfair hotel’
KEITH Vaz last night faced questions over whether he should have declared hospitality at a luxury Mayfair hotel where he is alleged to have had a string of mysterious meetings with young men.
The encounters happened at the fourstar Washington Hotel, which is owned by an Indian tycoon reported to be worth hundreds of millions of pounds.
Former staff at the hotel claim the shamed MP was a regular visitor, and that on many occasions Mr Vaz was not charged for his stay, according to reports. Yet no evidence of the gifts features in the Commons Register of Interests, prompting calls last night for a fresh probe into Mr Vaz’s affairs.
Five years ago the hotel’s owner, Joginder Sanger, 74, was named ‘Asian of the Year’ at a prestigious awards ceremony.
On the judging panel for the event at the Dorchester Hotel was Mr Vaz, who in a BBC TV interview was gushing in his praise of Mr Sanger’s achievements. He described him as an ‘outstanding individual’.
He added: ‘He is a great role model and his children, like he and his wife, are from the mainstream. That was the kind of person we were looking at. We had literally hundreds of people we could have chosen but he was the kind of person best to represent the mainsteam British Asian community.’
The Labour politician made no mention of a controversy which engulfed the prizewinner – who he is said to have known for least two decades – seven years earlier.
In 2004 the London Evening Standard dubbed Mr Sanger the ‘Asylum Tycoon’ in an investigation into another of his hotels, the run-down Thornecliffe Hotel near the M4 in West London.
It claimed that Mr Sanger’s company was paid £4 million the previous year to house asy-
‘He would often arrive at very short notice’
lum seekers at the 400-room hotel. The newspaper expose happened three years before Mr Vaz was elected chairman of the home affairs select committee, which scrutinises government immigrant policy and controls.
Mr Vaz’s links to Mr Sanger have been under scrutiny since it emerged earlier this week that the MP was caught on CCTV two years ago meeting a young man at the Washington Hotel, where the cheapest rooms are £160 a night.
The Sun reported claims that Mr Vaz often arrived at short notice, sometimes with young men. It published footage of a night-time meeting at the Washington on June 4, 2014, showing the MP, looking relaxed in a white shirt and trousers, in the hotel lobby just before 9pm.
He apparently greeted a young man, who was wearing skinny jeans and a top, before walking with him through the lobby. The pair were then seen nodding at each other as they made their way into the restaurant bar.
Both men were seen separately walking towards the rooms of the hotel. It is not known what they did next, The Sun said.
But after 31 minutes, the young man was seen leaving a corridor leading to the rooms. He then left the hotel.
A further 21 minutes elapsed before Mr Vaz was seen leaving the hotel wearing his jacket and carrying a bag.
One former hotel worker told The Sun: ‘Keith Vaz would often arrive at very short notice. Sometimes there were other young men with him.
‘There were a number of times he didn’t stay the whole night. He’d stay for a few hours before checking out. He was coming in regularly. When we asked for his booking he’d say, “Have you spoken to Mr Sanger?”’
A bar bill for the evening of June 4 showed the MP had a dinner of lemon sole, a J&B Rare whisky and bottle of still water, costing £54.95. At the foot of the receipt, a note reads:
‘As per Mr J. Sanger.’ According to The Sun, booking registers reveal Mr Vaz, whose family home is in edgware, North London, stayed on several occasions between September 2013 and December 2014, including times where he checked in and out within a few hours on the same day.
Mr Vaz was allegedly not charged for some bookings. When challenged over his use of the hotel earlier this week, Mr Vaz told The Sun: ‘I have had meetings at the hotel for perfectly legitimate reasons including meeting officials, attending functions and community meetings. The hotel has confirmed I have never booked bedrooms.’
Tory Mp Andrew Bridgen said strict rules stated that Mps were required to alert the Commons authorities of any gifts they had received that totalled more than 1 per cent of their salary.
Last night he told the Mail: ‘Mr Vaz should declare any hospitality he enjoyed at the Washington hotel.
‘All of Mr Vaz’s actions have created lots of questions but he is not providing any answers.
‘Mr Vaz has not disclosed the full nature of his relationship with Mr Sanger... whom he appears to have a very high regard for.’ Mr Vaz and Mr Sanger did not respond to requests for comment last night.