Former UKIP MEP jailed for taking bribes
The former leader of Reform (Wales) and UKIP MEP Nathan Gill has been jailed for ten and a half years at the Old Bailey today.
Gill, 52, previously pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery after taking around £40,000 in payments between 2018 and 2019.
He represented Wales in the European Parliament from 2014 until the UK’s departure from the EU in January 2020, took the money in exchange for tabling motions, delivering speeches, and facilitating media access for individuals linked to pro-Russian interests.
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.”
Notes to editors
- Nathan Gill (DOB: 06/07/1973) pleaded guilty to:
- Eight counts of Bribery, contrary to section 2(1) and (3) of the Bribery Act 2010
- He was sentenced to ten and a half years in custody
o Count 1: five years
o Counts 3,5,6,7,8: five years concurrent
o Count 4: five and a half years consecutive - The CPS has commenced proceeds of crime proceedings against Nathan Gill to claw back this illegally obtained money