Former MEP Nathan Gill Pleads Guilty to Eight Bribery Counts for Russian Advocacy

Former Member of European Parliament (MEP) Nathan Gill, a onetime close associate of Nigel Farage, has pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery for accepting payments to advocate for Russian interests. Gill, 52, admitted to the charges at the Old Bailey, where he is scheduled for sentencing in November 2025, with his barrister indicating an inevitable prison sentence. The revelations stem from an investigation by Counter Terrorism Policing, which uncovered his activities through seized communications.

The investigation revealed that Gill received payments from Oleg Voloshyn, a pro-Kremlin Ukrainian politician described by US authorities as a "pawn" of Russian secret services. These payments were in exchange for Gill making specific statements in the European Parliament and appearing on pro-Russian media outlets, including 112 Ukraine, that promoted narratives beneficial to Russia regarding events in Ukraine. The illicit arrangements occurred between December 2018 and July 2019.

Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK and Gill's former party leader, stated he was "stunned" by Gill's actions. Farage claimed he was unaware of Gill's pro-Russian statements, telling the BBC, "I didn't know anything about it; all I knew was that he'd been to Ukraine. I told him not to go, he defied me and went, I was completely unaware of any statements that he made." However, sources familiar with their time in Brussels described Gill as Farage's "right-hand man" and "enforcer," with adjoining offices.

The case has also brought renewed scrutiny to allegations regarding Nigel Farage's own financial ties to Russian media. A recent social media post by Trevor McArdle claimed, "> Farage earnt 548 000 for appearing on Russia Today in 2018 alone." This figure was previously cited by Labour MP Chris Bryant under parliamentary privilege.

Farage has vehemently denied receiving such an amount from Russia Today (RT), stating it is "nonsense." He clarified that the figure of approximately 548,000 represented the total income of his media company, Thorn In the Side Ltd, for all media appearances during that period, which included lucrative contracts with LBC radio and Fox News. Farage asserted he received only "two small appearance fees" from RT, well under 5,000, in 2016 and 2017, and did not appear on the channel in 2018.