Large-scale corruption cases. Former lawmaker from the pro-Brexit UKIP party, Nathan Gill, was on Friday sentenced to ten years in prison in London for corruption as part of a pro-Russian influence campaign in the European Parliament, an embarrassing case for his former colleague, Nigel Farage.
Nathan Gill was a member of the European Parliament from 2014 to 2020, first for UKIP and then for the Brexit Party. He then worked with Nigel Farage, then also elected in Brussels.
Nathan Gill, 52, was the leader of the English Reform party in Wales in 2021. However, he is no longer a member of the anti-immigration party led by Nigel Farage, who currently leads the polls in England.
Tens of thousands of pounds in cash
Nathan Gill’s actions had “eroded public confidence in democracy” and represented a “serious betrayal” of voters, the judge condemned before announcing a sentence of ten and a half years in prison.
Concretely, Nathan Gill received tens of thousands of pounds sterling in cash to make pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament and in the media. The incidents occurred in 2018 and 2019. Mr Gill admitted to the eight acts of corruption he was accused of.
He “advanced arguments favorable to Russia’s interests regarding Ukraine,” the judge explained.
“Your actions have fundamentally compromised the integrity of the supranational legislature,” he told Gill.
The prosecutor referred to a speech delivered by a former member of the European Parliament on 12 December 2018: this text “repeated a draft that had been sent to him by Oleg Voloshin”, a pro-Russian Ukrainian politician, he said.
The money Nathan Gill received came from a Ukrainian businessman close to the Kremlin, Viktor Medvedchuk, according to prosecutors.
For each of his actions on behalf of Volochine, Nathan Gill “is expected to receive several thousand, perhaps 5,000 pounds sterling or euros”, according to prosecutors.
Arrested shortly before flight to Russia
On January 30, 2020, Oleg Voloshin sent a “V” thank you note to Mr. Gill, who investigators believe was Viktor Medvedchuk. The following day, Nathan Gill left the European Parliament over Brexit.
He was arrested on September 13 2021 at Manchester Airport as he was about to travel to Russia.
WhatsApp messages addressed to Oleg Voloshin were found on his cell phone. The two men referred to “promised Christmas presents”, “postcards” and “5K” – referring to a payment of 5,000 pounds or euros.
After Nathan Gill’s speech, Nathan Gill congratulated the MPs with a message: “Impressive (…) You are a perfect orator”.
The case, and the harsh sentence Nathan Gill received, is an embarrassment for Reform UK and Nigel Farage.
Armed Forces Secretary Al Carns called on the Reform leader to launch an independent investigation to ensure “any pro-Russian ties are removed” within his party.
“A traitor at the top of the British Reformation (…) Nigel Farage and his party pose a danger to national security,” stressed Liberal Democrat Party leader Ed Davey (centre).
A Reform UK spokesperson said after the ruling that Nathan Gill’s actions were “treasonous” and “inexcusable”.
“We are pleased justice has been served and we fully welcome the sentence handed down to Nathan Gill,” the spokesperson added.
Nigel Farage, who has repeatedly been accused of taking an overly conciliatory stance towards Moscow, recently said he was “appalled” by the revelations about Nathan Gill. “I didn’t know that. All I knew was that he had been to Ukraine,” he said.
