David Coburn, who was leader of Ukip in Scotland, denies involvement after Nathan Gill jailed for taking bribes
A former leading member of the group of MEPs headed 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 responding after the jailing of his former colleague, Nathan Gill, on charges of being bribed by an alleged pro-Russian asset.
Coburn, who was an MEP for Scotland between 2014 and 2019, was mentioned in WhatsApp messages between Gill and Oleg Voloshyn – a former Ukrainian MEP who is accused of the bribery – that were released by prosecutors.
Gill was jailed last Friday for 10 and a half years for taking bribes to make statements in favour of Russia when he was an MEP. A prominent member of the Ukip and Brexit party groups, he had pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019.
