LONDON: A British former member of the European parliament and ex-leader of the populist Reform UK in Wales was jailed for more than 10 years on Friday after admitting taking about 40,000 pounds ($52,344) in bribes to make pro-Russian speeches and statements.
Nathan Gill had pleaded guilty in September to eight counts of bribery relating to payments he had received between December 2018 and July 2019 from pro-Russian Ukrainian politicians.
Reform, currently well ahead in opinion polls, said his actions were “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable”. The governing Labour Party called for Reform’s leader, veteran Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage, to carry out an investigation to ensure it had no pro-Russian links.
Prosecutors said Gill was stopped on his way to Russia in 2021 and police had found evidence on his phone that he had received payments to make media statements, table motions at the European Parliament and deliver pro-Russian speeches.
Former Ukrainian politician Oleg Voloshyn provided him with scripts for his public comments and provided the payments, with the source of money being pro-Russian business magnate and former Ukrainian parliamentarian Viktor Medvedchuk.
Voloshyn, who has been sanctioned by the United States, was indicted for treason in Ukraine in 2023, while Medvedchuk was sent into exile in Russia in 2022 in exchange for Ukrainian prisoners of war after being accused of treason and terrorism financing charges.
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