The former leader of the Reform UK party in Wales has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for accepting bribes to make pro-Russia statements in the European Parliament.

London’s Central Criminal Court, better known as the Old Bailey, sentenced Nathan Gill, 52, to 10 years and six months in prison on Friday.

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A former Member of the European Parliament and ex-leader of Reform UK in Wales, Gill pleaded guilty in September to accepting thousands of euros from a pro-Russian politician in Ukraine between 2018 and 2019, and making scripted statements and television appearances at his behest.

“You abused a position of significant authority and trust,” Judge Bobbie Cheema-Grubb said as the sentence was handed down, adding that Gill’s conduct “fundamentally compromised the integrity of a supranational legislative body”.

“You accepted payments from foreign nationals, made statements on important international matters at their behest, utilised scripted material presented as your own, and orchestrated the involvement of other MEPs,” Cheema-Grubb said.

Gill was first elected to the European Union legislature with the EU-sceptic UKIP party, which was then led by Reform UK’s current leader Nigel Farage.

He later represented the Brexit Party, another party led by Farage, before leaving the European Parliament when the United Kingdom left the EU in early 2020.

He was stopped at Manchester Airport in September 2021 as he attempted to travel to Russia and was charged in February of this year following an investigation.

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Gill pleaded guilty to eight counts of accepting bribes between December 2018 and July 2019 from Ukrainian politician Oleg Voloshyn, who was later sanctioned by the United States and indicted for treason in Ukraine.

Police said messages were found on Gill’s mobile phone between him and Voloshyn that provided coded references to their financial dealings.

There were also references to other members of the European Parliament, including British representatives and politicians from the Netherlands.

Farage – whose Reform UK party is topping several public opinion polls in the United Kingdom – has said he did not know about his former colleague’s missteps. Gill is no longer a Reform member.

But the case could be a headache for Farage, who has been accused of being soft on Russia despite global condemnation of its February 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement, Reform said Gill’s actions were “reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable” and that it was pleased that “justice has been served”.