Eric Pickles to publish report on Tower Hamlets council's alleged fraud Eric Pickles, the communities and local government secretary, is set to go on the attack on Tuesday when he publishes a report by accountants into allegations of maladministration and possible fraud by Tower Hamlets council. The report, the product of a six-month investigation costing nearly £1m, followed a BBC Panorama programme alleging that council money had been channelled excessively to local Bangladeshi groups in a bid to cultivate a political base. PricewaterhouseCoopers was appointed to investigate "allegations of governance failure, poor financial management and fraud." Tower Hamlets council is run by the controversial directly elected mayor Lutfur Rahman. Rahman has insisted that "there's nothing rotten in Tower Hamlets." His friends say he has been the subject of repeated media investigations and has largely emerged unscathed. But Pickles has a vast array of powers to intervene in the council, and could in theory take direct control of the council away from Rahman. Pickles announced in a tweet that he will publish the report by PWC at 9.30am on Tuesday followed by a Commons statement just after noon. The investigation was due to be completed in the summer but extra staff were brought in and the cost of the investigation is falling on Tower Hamlets. The inquiry is highly sensitive, because it is certain Rahman will accuse Pickles of a politically motivated attack if wrongdoing is alleged. In a separate process witnesses in the election petition against Rahman have been told they may be able to submit evidence anonymously after serious allegations of intimidation. Rahman defeated his Labour rival John Biggs by 37395 votes to 34143 after second preferences were included. The group behind the petition, which is preparing for a high court trial alleging electoral fraud against Rahman, called a press conference on Monday to outline the scale of the threats. The chair of the petition, Janet Digby-Barker, said: "Someone was told a member of their family from Bangladesh would be hurt."