Today’s guilty plea in the trial of Nathan Gill, Reform UK’s former leader in Wales, demonstrates the real risks of foreign interference and corruption in our politics.
Appearing at the Old Bailey today, Gill admitted he accepted corrupt payments in exchange for making pro-Russia statements in 2018 and 2019 as a UKIP Member of the European Parliament. Gill also represented north Wales in the Welsh Parliament. The prosecution alleged he received the bribes from Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian official under ousted pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych.
Susan Hawley, Executive Director of Spotlight on Corruption, said:
“This guilty plea shows just how important robust law enforcement responses to corruption and foreign interference are for protecting our democracy. Bribes to help foreign hostile states get a more favourable hearing in parliament or with the public should have no place in the UK.
The UK must ensure that it has robust, and well-resourced law enforcement response across the board to tackle corruption and electoral interference. The government also needs to be far more transparent about the levels of foreign interference that the UK faces, and what it is doing to tackle it. It should be reporting annually to parliament on this.”
Background
- Nathan Gill pleaded guilty to eight out of nine counts under the Bribery Act, admitting receiving financial advantages in the form of money between December 2018 and July 2019 which constituted “improper performance” of his role as an elected official. He will be sentenced on 21 November. The father of five was released on bail subject to conditions and his defence team think there is a realistic prospect that he will face a custodial sentence.
- Gill was first arrested four years ago at Manchester Airport. Prosecutors highlighted Whatsapp messages between Gill and Voloyshyn who was a Ukrainian government official under former President Yanukovych – the pro-Russian president of Ukraine who was ousted twice by major protests and fled to Russia in 2013. Voloyshyn was considered to be a pawn of Russia’s secret service by the US government and sanctioned by the US in 2022. He has also been suspected of treason by the Ukrainian authorities.
- Nation.Cymru revealed in 2023 that Gill had been on multiple trips organised by people suspected of being Russian agents, including Ukraine and Moldova.
