The lawyer for a failed local board candidate says his client made mistakes but never set out to commit electoral fraud.
Daljit Singh, a real-estate agent, JP and senior member of the Supreme Sikh Council, unsuccessfully stood for a seat on the Otara-Papatoetoe local board in the 2010 super city campaign.
Mr Singh and six others are on trial at the High Court in Auckland where it is alleged they sent the personal details of over 100 voters to authorities and registered them to the area where Mr Singh was standing.
Lawyer Ron Mansfield asked the jurors to put aside any feelings of prejudice they might have for his client and his community.
Mr Mansfield said that despite having a different religion and dressing differently, he still deserves a fair hearing.
He said while everyone makes mistakes, there was no evidence that linked his client to an intentional fraud.
Mr Mansfield asked the jurors why his client would turn bad for the board member's salary of $37,000 a year.
He says there is no evidence his client was hungry for the fame or the salary and had no reason to turn to crime.
