LONDON — The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has been ordered to pay more than £22,500 after accepting bribes to make pro-Russian speeches and media appearances while serving as a Member of the European Parliament.
Nathan Gill, 53, of Llangefni on Anglesey, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison in November 2025 after pleading guilty to eight bribery offences under the Bribery Act 2010. A court heard that the confiscation figure agreed between the parties was £22,592.41.
At the Old Bailey, a judge gave Gill six months to sell a rental property and hand over the money to the UK government, or face an extra nine months in prison.
How the bribery scheme worked through speeches and interviews
Prosecutors said Gill received money to assist politicians linked to Russia’s interests in Ukraine. The cash is thought to have totalled as much as £40,000. In return, he made speeches in the European Parliament and gave interviews supporting a pro-Russian position.
He was also paid for two television interviews with 112 Ukraine. Those appearances backed Viktor Medvedchuk, a former oligarch and pro-Russian Ukrainian politician who was at the centre of the requests and the money.
Gill was the first British politician to be sentenced for this offence. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb said last year that he had abused his position and damaged public confidence in democracy.
Money passed through Oleg Voloshyn acting for Viktor Medvedchuk
Court information said Gill accepted money from Oleg Voloshyn, 44, who had previously been described by the US government as a pawn of Russian secret services. Voloshyn was said to have acted for a close friend of Vladimir Putin, Viktor Medvedchuk, who made the requests and supplied the cash.
Medvedchuk was detained by Ukrainian authorities after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 and was later exchanged with Moscow in a prisoner swap. The 112 and NewsOne channels linked to him were under threat of closure in 2018 and 2019 and were both shut in 2021.
Prosecutors said Voloshyn also asked Gill to find other MEPs willing to speak to 112 Ukraine and gave him talking points to pass on.
Gill's political career and the reaction to his conviction
Gill served as an MEP from 2014 to 2020, first for UKIP and then the Brexit Party. He was also a member of the Senedd from 2016 to 2017 and had previously led UKIP in Wales.
He later led Reform UK’s 2021 Welsh Parliament election campaign but failed to win back a seat. Reform UK has said it was glad justice had been served, describing his actions as reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable. He is no longer a member of the party.
The then prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, also criticised Gill, accusing him of undermining Britain’s interests as a country.
Old Bailey ruling gives Gill six months to raise the cash
Gill did not attend the short hearing at the Old Bailey in which the UK government applied to confiscate the money. Ben Holt, for the prosecution, told Judge Richard Marks that the sum to be paid had already been agreed.
Defence barrister Clare Ashcroft said Gill would need time to sell a rental property before the payment could be made. She told the court that notice had been served on the tenants, but the property could not be marketed until they left.
It is understood the property is on Anglesey. If Gill does not pay within six months, the judge said he will receive an extra nine months in prison.
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