Letter: Shocked To Hear Convicted Juneja Speaking On TV

Published on: 17 Jun, 2015
Updated on: 17 Jun, 2015

From Valerie Thompson

I was shocked to hear Monika Juneja on ITV News on Tuesday [June 16], still claiming that there was a witch-hunt against her.

Is she so stupid as to think that respectable, concerned citizens would bother with her at all, with no reason?

The facts are simple. She lied, she forged documents, she deceived, she obtained senior positions at various locations, where she was well remunerated using her fake paperwork.

After numerous denials and protests that the complaints were racially based she was found out, taken to court and eventually admitted her guilt.

Now she says she is a “broken woman”.

Stephen Mansbridge said in court that she had used all her savings on her defence counsel. So where did she get the thousands of pounds to give away to students to collect signatures for a petition?

There has been no public apology from Guildford Borough Council for what has happened. All her work [as a councillor] for them should be discredited, as we have no idea what she used her false qualifications to influence.

Those who asked for the Hooper report to be rewritten, after the Bar Standards Board said what she had done was a criminal offence, should receive an apology from the council.

Those who felt threatened by associated correspondence from Cllr Mansbridge should also receive an apology. As I said in my first letter on this subject to the Surrey Advertiser, she is a woman of “low moral integrity” and I will not retract. I have been proved right. Those who reported her to the police have been proved right.

It was inappropriate for both the leader of Guildford Borough Council, Stephen Mansbridge, and Sue Sturgeon, the council’s managing director, to stand up at the Old Bailey to give character references for Ms Juneja.

Their positions on the council should have precluded supporting someone who had admitted guilt to serious charges.

They have shown an extraordinary lack of judgement and have lost the respect of many ordinary members of the public. As has been suggested in various publications and news sources, they should resign.

They have both shown they are not suitable to lead the people of Guildford.

Responses to Letter: Shocked To Hear Convicted Juneja Speaking On TV

Martin Elliott Reply

June 17, 2015 at 5:29 pm

I support all Valerie Thompson says.

As a councillor Juneja received allowances, enhanced for her senior position. I note she never resigned so would have continued receiving those until last month.

The thing is that she has admitted she was a liar, a deceiver and a forger. This should have been discoverable by any good judge of character; yet Stephen Mansbridge was taken in and rapidly promoted her and gave her significant responsibility.

When this was called into question, the Conservative group seemed to feel the botched Hooper report and subsequent criminal investigations were inconvenient but not significant.

Even now, the Conservative group have not properly shown any remorse for this sorry affair – an embarrassment to Guildford Borough Council certainly and to Guildford as a whole.
Jules Cranwell Reply

June 17, 2015 at 6:03 pm

Perhaps time for a vote of no confidence in the council leader, given his risible lack of judgement. Who will be brave enough to call it?
Ben Paton Reply

June 20, 2015 at 7:21 am

ITV’s report on the Junaja affair can be seen here:

https://youtu.be/dB4LQGhO7X4

Chairman of the Standards Cttee’s remarks can be seen here:

https://youtu.be/BpAZKq9mmy4