UK PM hopeful Boris Johnson summoned to court over ‘Brexit lies’

A British judge has summoned Boris Johnson, the top candidate to become next prime minister in the country, over lies he allegedly told the public during a campaign for leaving the European Union.

District Judge Margot Coleman said on Wednesday that Johnson should appear before a court to respond to  allegations that he lied when he told the public over the past years that Britain’s cost of membership in the EU was 350 million pounds a week.

“Having considered all the relevant factors I am satisfied that this is a proper case to issue the summons as requested for the three offences as drafted,” Coleman said, adding, “This means the proposed defendant will be required to attend this court for a preliminary hearing, and the case will then be sent to the Crown Court for trial.”

The private summon was crowd-funded by a group called “Brexit Justice”. It believes Johnson deliberately misled the public with his alleged figure of EU membership both before the 2016 Brexit referendum and later in the run-up to snap general elections in 2017.

“During both time periods outlined above, the (proposed) defendant repeatedly lied and misled the British public as to the cost of EU membership, expressly stating, endorsing or inferring that the cost of EU membership was 350 million pounds ($442 million) per week,” said the Brexit Justice in its application to the court.

Johnson played a key role in the victory of the Leave campaign in the Brexit referendum which saw some 52 percent of the Britons backing an exit from the EU after more than four decades.

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Johnson, who left London mayoralty after the referendum to become foreign minister in Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet, later resigned in protest against May’s Brexit strategy, saying it is very favorable to the EU.

He is currently the top chance among 11 Conservative Party lawmakers to replace May as the party leader and become the next prime minister.

Unable to go through the parliament with her controversial Brexit deal, the premier announced Friday that she would resign on June 7, allowing a Tory party leadership vote in late July.

Johnson’s lawyers slammed the private prosecution brought against him, saying it was a ploy by opponents to prevent Brexit from happening.

“Brexit Justice Limited is the product of a campaign to undermine the result of the Brexit referendum, and/or to prevent its consequences,” said a Johnson’s lawyer, adding, “Its true purpose is not that it should succeed, but that it should be made at all. And made with as much public fanfare as the prosecution can engender.”

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