BREAKING: Former Reform UK heavyweight Nathan Gill jailed for accepting Russian bribes

The former leader of Reform UK in Wales and an ex-close ally of Nigel Farage has been jailed for accepting Russian bribes while serving in the European Parliament.

Nathan Gill , 52, admitted eight counts of bribery after taking thousands of pounds to deliver scripted speeches and push a pro-Russian agenda on TV when he was an MEP. The disgraced former UKIP and Brexit Party politician accepted the cash from tycoon Oleg Voloshyn – branded a “pawn” of the Russian security services by the US government – to make scripted speeches in the European Parliament and on TV.

Counter terrorism officers discovered WhatsApps between Gill and pro-Russian Ukrainian politician Voloshyn revealing their illegal deal. Jailing him for 10-and-a-half years, Judge Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said he had committed a “grave betrayal” of those who elected him. She said: “You abused the position of significant authority and trust with your crimes spanning eight months, motivated by financial and political gain.

“The offending was sophisticated. You accepted payments from foreign nationals, made statements on important international matters… Your conduct fundamentally compromised the integrity of a supranational legislative body, particularly in its dealings with Russia, a persistently hostile state during a period of an association agreement between the EU and Ukraine reached in 2017.”

Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said a “long sequence” of messages started in September 2018.

These showed Gill agreed to make introductions in the European Parliament, as well as discussing “enlisting the support of several MEPs”.

Mr Heywood told the court: “There is clear evidence of agreements to act in a particular way, or to a particular script, for sums of money.” He went on to reveal that Voloshyn refered to payments as “Xmas gifts”.

The prosecutor said Gill’s actions fell into the “highest category” of culpability, stating: “We observe that Mr Gill was not just the elected member of a parliament, but of a supra-national parliament of significance, comprising many nation states.

“He agreed to take financial payments from a foreign national operating outside that region according to interest, not only of himself and others with him, but also palpably, other foreign interests lying behind his own. The indictment offending spanned a series of months and arguably came to an end at a time when it was obvious that his involvement, his role as a member of the European Parliament was either at or soon to be at an end.

“It appears from the material that Mr Gill was expecting to receive the order of several thousand, perhaps £5,000 or euros, in respect of each offence. He was to do so in cash, but he was to do so clandestinely.”

Gill was elected as a UKIP, and later Brexit Party, MEP between 2014 and 2020. He was leader of UKIP Wales between 2014 and 2016 – while Mr Farage was the national leader.

The Reform UK leader has described Gill as a “bad apple” – and said he was “shocked” after he admitted bribery. Gill went on to become leader of Reform UK Wales between March and May 2021. He led the party’s Senedd/Welsh Parliament election campaign – but has not been a member since 2021.

Peter Wright KC, defending Gill, said: “He recognises, and did by his guilty pleas, the enormity of what he has done and the betrayal of the trust placed in him and on his behalf by others to behave with integrity, and that he has let them and himself down.”

He continued: “Before I embark on matters of general mitigation in order, I hope, to quell what may be a degree of speculation within the media or the public generally by any reference to any leading figure in the party that was featured in any of these messages. We would submit clearly that any such figure was never the subject of any proposition, nor indeed of any agreement of any sort.”

The shamed politician, from Anglesey, North Wales, used a parliamentary speech in 2018 to defend TV channels 112 Ukraine and NewsOne, which are linked to Vladimir Putin ally Viktor Medvedchuk.

Gill gave two contributions in favour of the channels in December 2018 and March 2019. He also appeared on the TV channel speaking in support of Medvedchuk, who was facing criminal proceedings for high treason.

And Gill also arranged MEPs to speak to 112 Ukraine – also hosting a presentation with Medvedchuk in exchange for bribes. Voloshyn, who also became member of the Ukrainian parliament, had links to media outlets such as 112 Ukraine, with which his wife was associated, the court heard.

At a previous hearing, Mark Heywood KC, prosecuting, said Gill’s activities emerged in WhatsApp messages on his phone after he was stopped at Manchester Airport on September 13 2021 under the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.

The messages showed communication between Gill and Mr Voloshyn of an “agreement to receive money in connection with his performance in his duties as a member of the European Parliament”, Mr Heywood said.

They included “posing questions for the consideration of (the European) parliament, making contact with senior officials of the European Commission at the parliament, arranging for events and making statements”, the prosecutor told the court.

After the airport stop, counter terrorism detectives also seized devices from Gill ‘s home in north Wales, police said. Investigators matched WhatsApp messages with statements Gill had made in support of pro-Russia media being present in Ukraine.

Some of these statements appeared in Ukrainian media.

Following a previous hearing at the Old Bailey, Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Met’s counter terrorism command, said: “Our investigation uncovered an elected MEP was taking payments to peddle narratives that would have had the effect of being beneficial towards Russian interests.

“This case goes to the heart of our democratic values and as we’ve shown here, we will not hesitate to investigate and disrupt anyone seeking to harm or undermine these values and our national security.”