The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has been jailed for 10-and-a-half years after he was paid £40,000 to make pro-Russian statements in the European Parliament in a “grave betrayal” of the British public.
Nathan Gill, 52, of Anglesey, North Wales, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery on dates between December 6 2018 and July 18 2019.
Sentencing him on Friday, Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said: “Parliamentarians wield significant influence over public and political discourse.
“It is incumbent upon them to speak with honesty and conviction, irrespective of whether their views are met with approval or dissent.
“When you say what someone has paid you to say, you are not speaking with sincerity. If it were your genuine opinion, you would not need to be paid for saying it.”
She told Gill that allowing money to corrupt his “moral compass” amounted to “a grave betrayal of the trust vested in you by the electorate”.
She added: “Your misconduct has ramifications far beyond personal honour, which is now irretrievably damaged. It erodes public confidence in democracy itself.”
Gill made no reaction as he was sent down from the dock at the Old Bailey to begin his sentence.
At the time of the offences, Gill was a member of the European Parliament, having been originally elected for the UK Independence Party (Ukip).
His activities included making pro-Russian statements about events in Ukraine in the European Parliament and in opinion pieces to news outlets, such as 112 Ukraine.
The architect of the bribes was Oleg Voloshyn, 44, a former pro-Russian Ukrainian MP, who with his wife was connected to 112 Ukraine.
The television channel was owned by wealthy pro-Russian Ukrainian Victor Medvedchuk, 71, who was a close ally of Vladimir Putin and the ultimate source of requests and money that Gill received.
Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC said Gill’s crimes were exposed after he was stopped at Manchester airport on September 13 2021 as he attempted to travel to Russia.
Gill’s mobile phone was examined and messages were found between him and Voloshyn.
WhatsApp messages between the pair included references to “promised x-mas gifts”, “postcards” and “5K” which was a reference to payments, he said.
After speaking from a script at one debate, Voloshyn told him, “impressive … you are the perfect orator”, the court was told.
Further exchanges between the pair related to Mr Voloshyn getting 5,000 euros for Gill for speaking on 112 Ukraine about Mr Medvedchuk being prosecuted for treason.
Gill was invited to encourage others to adopt the same approach and repeat the same line that he had given.
There were references to other members of the European Parliament, including British representatives and politicians from the Netherlands.
Mr Voloshyn reported that if Gill could get three, then “they” would be extremely grateful and that his fee would be “5K”.
Following the 2019 European elections, Mr Voloshyn asked Gill to arrange for colleagues from the Brexit Party to attend a presentation by Mr Medvedchuk on the ongoing conflict in the Donbas region.
Mr Heywood said the Ukrainian asked Gill to book a room and various names were mentioned including a “leading figure”.
In response to Gill’s certainty that he could “drag a few in to attend”, Mr Voloshyn promised he would be fairly rewarded, and said: “I already have a small sack of paper gifts for you.”
On January 30 2020 there were a series of exchanges between Gill and Mr Voloshyn, who passed on thanks from “V”, which was said to be Mr Medvedchuk.
The next day, Gill ceased to be an MEP on the departure of the UK from the European Union.
Following his arrest, Gill declined to comment in police interview.
Mr Voloshyn is now believed to be living in Russia and is wanted by authorities in Britain and Ukraine.
Mr Medvedchuk was arrested in 2021 and sent to Russia in 2022 as part of a prisoner exchange.
Gill led Reform UK’s 2021 Welsh Parliament election campaign but is no longer a member of the party.
Commander Dominic Murphy, head of the Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, told the PA news agency the “seriousness” of the crimes was reflected in Gill’s sentence.
He said: “When we elect individuals, in whatever parliament, in whatever circumstance, we do so because, as constituents, we want them to act in our best interests and, of course, the best interests of the country.
“In this case, Nathan Gill has put aside the best interests of this country and, in fact, agreed to take payment to ask questions or make statements that were pro-Russia in nature as a result of payments from the opposition parties in Ukraine at the time.”
Security minister Dan Jarvis said in a statement: “Nathan Gill used his privileged position in public office to advance the malign interests of Russia over those of the UK in exchange for money – that is a betrayal of our country, our people and our national security.”
Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey demanded an investigation into Russian interference in British politics.
He said: “A traitor was at the very top of Reform UK, aiding and abetting a foreign adversary. Nigel Farage and his party are a danger to national security.”
A Reform UK spokesman said: “Mr Gill’s actions were reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable. We are glad that justice has been served and fully welcome the sentence Nathan Gill has received.”
