A woman who gave evidence to the Grenfell Tower inquiry has been charged with a string of fraud offences over allegations she falsely claimed to have lost her home in the disaster.
Salma Said, 48, is accused of claiming nearly £400,000 in financial and housing support in the aftermath of the fire in June 2017, which killed 72 people and left hundreds injured and homeless.
It is said Said lied about being a “resident of Grenfell Tower” in the days after the fire, to claim support from Kensington and Chelsea Council.
Her sister, Rawda Said, 35, is also charged with assisting an offender by allegedly providing a false statement in a bid to “impede the apprehension or prosecution of Salma Said who had committed the offence of fraud”, charges state.
Both women gave statements to the Grenfell Tower inquiry stating that they lived in Flat 54 of the housing block. They were entered into evidence in 2018 and 2020 during different phases of the inquiry, being overseen by retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick.
Salma Said is accused of four counts of fraud by false representation in June 2017, in the immediate aftermath of the blaze.
She is also accused of a £1500 fraud against Kensington and Chelsea Council in January 2014 by allegedly falsely claiming to live in Grenfell Tower.
And she faces an allegation of fraud against Barnet Council in September 2017 over a claim allegedly made through the Right to Buy housing scheme.
The sisters, who both live separately in Kensington, are due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Monday to face the charges for the first time.
They are accused following an investigation by the Metropolitan Police. No pleas have been entered.
