Ex-Reform UK Leader In Wales Sentenced To Ten-And-A-Half Years In Prison For Taking Pro-Russia Bribes
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Nathan Gill, the former leader of Reform UK in Wales, has been sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison for taking bribes from a pro-Russia campaign.
Gill, 52, admitted to eight counts of bribery at the Old Bailey on Friday.
The judge, Justice Cheema-Grubb, said Gill’s behaviour was a "grave betrayal" of public trust and caused “profound” harm to the national interest, adding that his offending was “sophisticated”.
Gill was paid thousands of pounds to make pro-Russia speeches in the European Parliament as an MEP between December 2018 and July 2019, as well as write favourable articles.
Police found WhatsApp messages between Gill and Oleg Voloshyn, 44, a pro-Russian Ukrainian government official. Prosecutors explained how the 52-year-old had read from Voloshyn’s messages in the European Parliament.
Messages showed Voloshyn promising Gill "postcards" and "Xmas gifts" for his actions. Mark Heywood, KC, the prosecutor, said a message promising "5k" between the two referred to cash payments.
Gill was once a close ally of Reform UK's current leader, Nigel Farage, who previously described the Welsh politician as one of his most loyal "lieutenants” in Wales. Farage has condemned Gill's “shameful activities” and said he had no knowledge of them.
Defence minister Al Carns has called on Farage to “leave no stone unturned” in reviewing “every inch” of Reform party structures, membership, party donors, and representatives, to ensure any remaining pro-Russian links are rooted out.
“No patriotic British political party should allow pro-Russian elements to covertly have an influence on our political system or society. It’s as anti-British as you can get," he said.
Leader of the Lib Dems Ed Davey said a "traitor" at the top of Reform had been "aiding and abetting a foreign adversary". He claimed Farage and Reform UK are a "danger to national security".
At the time of the offences, Gill was an MEP for Farage's former party, UKIP.
He remained a member of the European Parliament until the UK left the European Union in 2020. He was also a member of the Welsh Parliament at the time.
Peter Wright, the defence barrister for Gill, said his client recognised he had betrayed people's trust.
