Ex-Reform UK leader Nathan Gill gets jailed over pro-Russia bribery

(MENAFN) Nathan Gill, the former head of Reform UK in Wales and a onetime member of the European Parliament, received a 10-and-a-half-year prison sentence on Friday for taking payments in exchange for promoting pro-Russia narratives in the media.

According to general reports from the court proceedings, Justice Cheema-Grubb said Gill "abused a position of significant authority and trust" and was "motivated by financial and political gain."

Gill, 52, had previously pleaded guilty to eight bribery offenses spanning Dec. 6, 2018, through July 18, 2019 — a period during which he was serving as an MEP.

His misconduct was said to be connected to a series of pro-Russia statements he made about Ukraine while associated first with the UK Independence Party and later the Brexit Party.

Investigators from counter-terrorism units concluded that Gill received at least £40,000 ($52,335)
in cash and attempted to bring other British MEPs into similar bribery arrangements. Some of the individuals involved were believed to have direct ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to officials.

Speaking in an interview at the G20 summit in South Africa, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Reform UK leader Nigel Farage "needs to launch an investigation into his party to understand how that happened."

Starmer added that the inquiry should also determine "what other links are there between Reform and Russia." He concluded, "[Nigel Farage] needs to deal with this pro-Russian bribery. It's not just a serious criminal offence, it undermines our country."

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