A former leading member of the MEP group chaired by Nigel Farage has denied taking money as part of a campaign to promote Russian interests.
David Coburn, who was leader of Ukip in Scotland for four years, was reacting after his former colleague Nathan Gill was jailed for bribery by an alleged pro-Russian asset.
Coburn, who was a Scotland MEP between 2014 and 2019, was mentioned in WhatsApp messages between Gill and Oleg Voloshin – a former Ukrainian MEP accused of bribery – which were released by prosecutors.
Gill was jailed for 10 and a half years last Friday on charges of taking bribe to make a statement in favor of Russia while he was an MEP. A leading member of the Ukip and Brexit Party groups, he pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) documents used in Gill’s case showed him and Voloshin apparently discussing how much should be set aside for Coburn, who was also an MEP for the Brexit Party, the precursor to Reform UK.
The messages were sent in April 2019 ahead of a meeting in the European Parliament of the editorial board of 112 Ukraine, a pro-Russian Ukrainian channel whose membership included Gil and Coburn.
Later that day, a discussion took place between Gil and Voloshin regarding money, which the latter had given to be distributed between Gil and another MEP identified only as “Dee” and “David”.
“I’m meeting D. in the morning. How much was that for?” Gil messaged Voloshin, who replied: “6.5 USD.”
The MEP called David, apparently Coburn, It was also mentioned in other messages between Gil and Voloshin, who was working for Viktor Medvedchuk, Vladimir Putin’s most important ally in Ukraine in the years before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
“There’s a big request from you and David,” Voloshin messaged Gil, outlining “a smart idea” he said Medvedchuk had.
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Reached outside an estate in France, Coburn reportedly replied “no” when a BBC journalist asked him if he had ever been paid to give speeches promoting pro-Russian propaganda.
The former MEP has made no public comment since Gill was jailed and did not respond to an invitation for comment by the Guardian, which saw no evidence that Coburn had committed any crimes.
Coburn and another Ukip MEP, Jonathan Arnott, visited Ukraine with Gill in October 2018, and made statements to pro-Russian media.
Weeks later, Gill spoke after he made the statement during a debate on Ukraine in the European Parliament. Arnott has rejected any suggestion that he has ties to Russia or is working in its interests.
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