Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
If this person, who is qualified for being an imam, knows that tattoo is haram, and has repented to Allah but is not able to remove the tattoo, then he may lead you in Prayer and you should help him get rid of that tattoo. However, if he has not repented, he should not lead you.
Answering your question, Dr. Muhammad Salama, PhD, , Islamic Studies in English, Associate Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences al-Madinah International University (Mediu), states:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) cursed a woman who does tattoo and the woman who asks for it to be done for her. The same ruling applies to men, for women have been mentioned because they often tend to do it.
This means that a person who has this tattoo has to repent to Allah the Almighty and to remove it. If it needs a surgical operation and one cannot afford it, then this could be an excuse for him until he can.
If this person, who is qualified for being an imam, knows that tattoo is haram, and has repented to Allah but is not able to remove the tattoo, then he may lead you in Prayer and you should help him get rid of that tattoo. However, if he has not repented, he should not lead you.
Allah Almighty knows best.