Nigel Farage faces an official probe from the European Parliament over lavish personal expenses funded by Arron Banks.
It’s been reported the European Parliament President Antonio Tajani will today refer the matter to an advisory committee for investigation.
It comes after Channel 4 News revealed Farage received as much as £450,000 in funding from Banks - including a £13,000-a-month Chelsea home and a car with a driver in 2016.
He also received funding for visits to the United States to build his media brand and capitalise on his friendship with Donald Trump.
MEPs are required to declare funding for travel, accommodation and subsistence expenses - including the name of the funder.
Farage admitted this week that he did not declare the payments, but insisted they were purely 'personal' in nature.
He told the BBC: "Whatever happened after the referendum – I was leaving politics, it happened mostly in America, it had nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with the Brexit Party, it was purely on a personal basis.
"I was looking for a new career and a new life – it's got nothing to do with anything, it's a purely private matter."
It’s understood the advisory committee will not meet until at least June 4th, after Thursday’s EU elections.
It will then investigate and publish a report, which includes recommendations for a possible sanction.
Mr Farage could be slapped with a fine of up to £8,800 under European Parliament rules, which would be deducted from his subsistence allowance.
Last year, Farage had his MEP salary docked by more than £35,000 to recoup misspent EU funds intended for the staffing of his office.
