A former Welsh leader of Reform UK has pleaded guilty to bribery charges over statements in support of Russia while serving as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP).
Dafydd Gill, 52, from Llangefni, Anglesey, admitted eight counts of bribery relating to the period between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019. He denied a separate charge of conspiracy to commit bribery.
Gill’s political career saw him serve as a UKIP and Brexit Party MEP from 2014 to 2020. He led UKIP Wales between 2014 and 2016 before briefly heading Reform UK Wales from March to May 2021.
The allegations centre on statements he made in the European Parliament that were “supportive of a particular narrative” benefitting Russia in relation to events in Ukraine. The charges claimed that, as an elected representative for Wales, Gill “agreed to receive financial advantage, namely money,” which amounted to the “improper performance” of his duties.
The court heard that Gill also published opinion pieces in outlets such as 112 Ukraine. Prosecutors said he was instructed on at least eight occasions by Ukrainian national Oleg Voloshyn to make specific statements in exchange for payment.
The conspiracy to commit bribery charge suggested that between 1 January 2018 and 1 February 2020, Gill, Voloshyn, and “others” conspired to offer and receive “quantities of money in cash,” an act constituting the improper performance of his European Parliament role.
Prosecutor Mark Heywood described Gill’s guilty pleas as “satisfactory,” noting that they reflected the seriousness of the bribery offences.
The case first came to light after Gill was stopped at Manchester Airport on 13 September 2021 under the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019.
Gill, who led Reform UK’s 2021 Senedd election campaign, is no longer a member of the party.
