Dame Shirley Porter yesterday defended herself in public for the first time in the so-called Westminster City Council "homes-for-votes" affair and said she was "absolutely innocent" of any wrongdoing.
The former Tory council leader is undergoing a two-day cross-examination in the High Court in London in a bid to clear her name and lift the threat of a £31 million surcharge following allegations of gerrymandering.
In a packed court, Dame Shirley (66) insisted the council had acted "properly and lawfully" over its council homes sales policy and its desire to "gentrify" the city.
She said it was "absolutely not true" she had "subverted" council officials to her will and railroaded through an unlawful policy.
She and former city council colleagues are asking the court to rule that the district auditor, Mr John Magill, acted unfairly when he demanded the payment of £31.6 million after finding Dame Shirley and five others guilty of "wilful misconduct" and "disgraceful and improper gerrymandering" between 1987 and 1989.
In May of last year Mr Magill made three councillors and three council officials "jointly and severally" liable to repay the amount he estimated to have been wrongly spent as they allegedly tried to fix election results in key marginal wards by keeping council homes empty and selling them cheaply under the right-to-buy scheme to people who were more likely to vote Conservative.
On arriving at London's Law Courts yesterday, Dame Shirley said: "I am absolutely innocent and I am here today to clear my name."
In court, Mr Alun Jones QC, for the district auditor, suggested eight marginal wards had been targeted to get the Conservatives re-elected in 1990.
The hearing continues today.