A former Cambridgeshire county councillor who is facing charges of perverting the course of justice has “strongly refuted” breaking the law and promised to keep “standing up” for her constituents.
Fiona Onasanya, who has been the MP for Peterborough since 2017, used to represent King’s Hedges in Cambridge at Cambridgeshire County Council.
On Wednesday, July 25, news broke that Onasanya, 34, has been charged with two counts of perverting the course of justice after allegedly lying about who was driving during an alleged speeding incident in 2017.
She will appear at the Old Bailey in London on August 13 in connection with the charges.
Onasanya has today (July 27) taken to Twitter to strongly deny any wrong doing, and has promised to fight the allegations.
Onasanya said: “I will be robustly defending all these allegations, and strongly refute any suggestions that I have broken the law. As these proceedings are now ongoing, I will be making no further comment on the matter.”
According to the Crown Prosecution Service, the alleged offences took place in Cambridgeshire in 2017.
She is charged with two counts.
Count one is: “On a day between the 24th day of July 2017 and the 29th day of September 2017 with intent to pervert the course of public justice, did an act which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice in that you, together with Festus Onasanya, during the course of an investigation by the Cambridgeshire Police Camera Ticket and Collision Unit into an offence of driving a vehicle in excess of the speed limit on 24 July 2017 committed by you, falsely informed the investigating authorities that a third party had been the driver of the said vehicle, thereby placing the third party at risk of prosecution and punishment for the said offence and enabling you, as a consequence, to avoid such prosecution and punishment.”
Count two is: “On a day between the 23th day of August 2017 and the 17th day of October 2017 with intent to pervert the course of public justice, did an act which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice in that you, together with Festus Onasanya, during the course of an investigation by the Cambridgeshire Police Camera Ticket and Collision Unit into an offence of driving a vehicle in excess of the speed limit on 23 August 2017 committed by Festus Onasanya, falsely informed the investigating authorities that a third party had been the driver of the said vehicle, thereby placing the third party at risk of prosecution and punishment for the said offence and enabling Festus Onasanya, as a consequence, to avoid such prosecution and punishment.”
Her younger brother, Festus Onasanya, 33, has been charged with the same offences.
Mr Onasanya is a singer who appeared on BBC 1 TV show Pitch Battle hosted by Gareth Malone.
On Thursday, Ms Onasanya wrote on Twitter to thank those who were supporting her, pledging to continue to “stand up for” her constituency.
“I would like to thank all of those who have sent messages of support, love and prayers on my behalf,” she tweeted. “I am most grateful, and can assure you that I will continue to stand up for my constituency and be a voice for change.”
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