A key ally to Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has been jailed for ten-and-a-half years over cash bribes for pro-Russia statements in the European Parliament.
Nathan Gill, 52, agreed to work for an oligarch with close ties to Vladimir Putin, accepting stacks of money which were coded in messages as “xmas gifts” and “postcards”.
Gill, a close political ally of Farage through the Brexit years, pleaded guilty to eight charges of bribery between December 6 2018 and July 18 2019.
On Friday, Mrs Justice Cheema Grubb sentenced Gill to ten-and-a-half years in prison, saying he had “corroded” public trust in politicians and she must impose a deterrent sentence.
“When elected, you were entrusted to exercise independent judgement and uphold the highest standards of integrity, values of paramount importance.
“In public office, one pledges to act in accordance with your conscience and in the public good.
“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.
“Whether or not you believe any of what you said at the behest of Voloshyn and Medvedchuk, allowing money to corrupt your moral compass constitutes a grave betrayal of the trust vested in you by the electorate.”
She said Gill had “abused a position of significant authority and trust with your crimes spanning eight years, motivated by financial and political gain.
“The offending was sophisticated, you accepted payment from foreign nationals, and made statement on important international matters at their behest.”
The court heard Gill took instructions from Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian government official, who was acting as the go-between for oligarch Victor Medvedchuk, a close friend of Vladimir Putin.
Reacting to the sentence, Security Minister, Dan Jarvis, said: “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.
“He will now face the consequences of his actions.”
Prosecutor Mark Heywood KC told the sentencing hearing that Gill had an “established relationship” with Voloshyn, which led him to make pro-Russian statements about events in Ukraine in the European Parliament and in opinion pieces to news outlets, such as 112 Ukraine.
“If Mr Gill, in the course of his Parliamentary duties, was to undertake such activities to advance any particular cause or political interest, he was free to do so”, said Mr Heywood.
“The vice comes when there is clear evidence of repeated agreements to act in a particular way, according to a particular script, for sums of money paid to him personally.”
The court heard in one incident Gill gave a speech in the European Parliament criticising the Ukrainian government over supposed free speech crackdowns.
The judge said it was “ironic” that Gill’s speech was read out after being “meticulously scripted by the Russians”, and noted Voloshyn had later praised him for his oratory.
Gill, who lives in Anglesey, was one of four candidates for Farage’s UKIP in Wales in the 2014 European Parliament.
He held the seat for the next six years, ending with Brexit and the UK’s departure from the European Union in January 2020.
Gill led UKIP in Wales for nearly two years between 2014 and 2016, and he served in the Welsh national assembly between May 2016 and December 2017.
He left UKIP in December 2018 to join Farage’s newly-created Brexit Party, becoming the leader in Wales, and he continued to hold the post when it morphed into Reform UK. Gill left the party shortly after failing to win a seat on the Senedd for Reform UK in May 2021.
The court heard Gill’s contact, Voloshyn, 44, had ties to the 112 Ukraine TV channel ownership, which was linked to Medvedchuk.
Voloshyn was sanctioned by the US in 2022 for “helping to prepare to take over the government of Ukraine and to control Ukraine’s critical infrastructure with an occupying Russian force”, the court heard.
Putin is believed to be the godfather to one of Medvedchuk’s children. The 71-year-old oligarch was placed under house arrest in Ukraine in 2021 while suspected of treason. He was handed over to Russia the following year in a prisoner swap.
Mr Heywood said Gill’s phone was seized by counter-terror police on September 13, 2021, when the incriminating messages were first found.
He said that he was travelling to Russia by invitation to attend a scientific conference in Moscow and that he had been invited to act as an observer in the Russian state Duma elections in the middle of that month,” Mr Heywood said.
“He also said that he had performed the same role on two previous occasions.”
The court has been shown messages where Voloshyn provided texts of speeches for Gill to make during Parliamentary sessions.
He was promised “5k” in payment for his services, he was enlisted to make pro-Russia remarks on 112 Ukraine, and he also organised for Voloshyn and associates to visit the European Parliament.
Following the 2019 European Elections, Voloshyn asked Gill to arrange for Brexit Party colleagues to attend a presentation by Medvedchuk on the ongoing conflict in the Donbas region.
“He asked that Mr Gill book a room, he asked that he invite colleagues from the Brexit Party to attend,” said Mr Heywood.
“Various names were mentioned, including a leading figure.
“Mr Gill said that he would see about his new colleagues, but it will take time to build a relationship with them, as they are all new to politics.
“He later expressed certainty that he could, ‘Drag a few in to attend’.
“Mr Voloshyn’s response to that was that he would definitely be fairly rewarded and then these words, ‘I already have a small sack of paper gifts for you’.”
When he was interviewed by police in March 2022, Gill made no comment and was charged in January 2025.
Peter Wright KC, for Gill, told the court the politician accepts a “round robin” invitation to travel to Ukraine and met with opposition MPs who were supportive of Russian-speaking people living in the Donbas region of the country.
He said it came at a “febrile” time in post Brexit vote politics, while his continuing position in the European Parliament was “tolerated rather than welcomed”, and his euro-sceptic views were attracting significant interest.
“He did not deliberately set out to monetise his availability”, said Mr Wright.
“It’s clear payments were offered, they were not refused, and to his abiding shame, once made they were kept and not declared.
“He can offer no excuses for that utterly venal compromise of his otherwise highly-held principles.”
He said Gill’s wife and children now face an “uncertain and difficult future”, and he knows he faces ongoing “shame, social ostracism, and public expressions of condemnation”.
“The shame he feels is deeply felt, and has already been long-standing.”
When questioned on the case, Farage said he was “stunned” to learn of Gill’s criminal actions. He insisted he had no knowledge of his "shameful activities" and condemned them "in every possible way".
Bethan David, Head of Counter Terrorism for the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “This case strikes at the heart of democratic integrity. Accepting bribes from foreign nationals to influence parliamentary proceedings undermines public trust and the proper functioning of government.
“Nathan Gill has admitted that he knew what he was doing was wrong, and his activities only ended because of the UK’s departure from the European Union, removing him from a position of use for those who sought to influence him.
“Public office is a position of trust, and his actions represent a serious breach of that trust, his sentencing today shows the seriousness of that breach.”
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