Nathan Gill has been sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in jail over pro-Russian statements made in the European Parliament for cash.
Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales, had pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to eight counts of bribery on dates between December 6 2018 and July 18 2019.
The former MEP agreed to make pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament for cash using codewords such as “promised x-mas gifts” and “postcards”, the court heard.
Gill, 52, of Anglesey, North Wales, made pro-Russian statements about events in Ukraine in the European Parliament and in opinion pieces to news outlets, such as 112 Ukraine.
Opening the facts of the case at the Old Bailey on Friday, prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said Gill’s crimes were exposed after he was stopped at Manchester airport on September 13 2021 and his phone seized.
“He said that he was travelling to Russia by invitation to attend a scientific conference in Moscow and that he had been invited to act as an observer in the Russian state Duma elections in the middle of that month.
“He also said that he had performed the same role on two previous occasions,” the prosecutor said.
Gill’s mobile phone was examined and a message exchange between him and Oleg Voloshyn, 44, a pro-Russian Ukrainian Government official before 2014, was discovered.
Mr Heywood said: “The communications between the two men showed that an established relationship existed between them.”
Bethan David, Head of Counter Terrorism for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This case strikes at the heart of democratic integrity. Accepting bribes from foreign nationals to influence parliamentary proceedings undermines public trust and the proper functioning of government.
“Nathan Gill has admitted that he knew what he was doing was wrong, and his activities only ended because of the UK’s departure from the European Union, removing him from a position of use for those who sought to influence him.
“Public office is a position of trust, and his actions represent a serious breach of that trust, his sentencing today shows the seriousness of that breach.”
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has now been urged to “leave no stone unturned” in reviewing “every inch” of his party’s structures, membership, party donors and representatives by Defence Minister Al Carns.
Liberal Democrats leader Ed Davey has branded Nigel Farage and his party a “danger to national security” in response to the jailing.
He said: “A traitor was at the very top of Reform UK, aiding and abetting a foreign adversary. Nigel Farage and his party are a danger to national security.
“Nigel Farage himself was previously paid to be on Putin’s TV channel, Russia Today, and said he was the world leader he admires the most. We must all ask – where do his loyalties really lie?
“We need a full investigation into Russian interference in our politics.”
Following the 2019 European Elections, Voloshyn asked Gill to bring colleagues from the Brexit Party together to attend a presentation by Vladimir Putin ally and Ukraine national Victor Medvedchuk.
Mr Heywood said the Ukrainian requested that Gill book a room to listen to Medvedchuk speak about the ongoing conflict in the Donbas region.
Gill was told by Voloshyn he would be fairly rewarded for his efforts.
Liberal Democrat Leader Sir Ed Davey has branded Reform UK a ‘danger to national security’
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PA“I already have a small sack of paper gifts for you”, he told Gill.
Gill was a member of the European Parliament at the time of the offences, having been originally elected for the UK Independence Party (UKIP).
On January 30 2020 there were a series of exchanges between Gill and Voloshyn, who passed on thanks from “V”, which was said to be Mr Medvedchuk.
The next day, Gill ceased to be an MEP on the departure of the UK from the European Union.
Mr Voloshyn, who also became a member of the Ukrainian parliament, had links to media outlets such as 112 Ukraine, with which his wife was associated, the court heard.
Gill led Reform UK’s 2021 Welsh Parliament election campaign but is no longer a member of the party.This is a breaking story, more to follow.
