A former Brexit Party MEP, whose name features in messages between the convicted former Welsh Reform Party leader Nathan Gill and his Russian handler, has denied taking bribes
David Coburn, the former UKIP Party leader in Scotland and later a Brexit Party MEP, was approached at his French chateau by the BBC and asked about WhatsApp messages recovered from Nathan Gill’s mobile phone.
Russian paymaster
Among the messages presented at Nathen Gill’s sentencing were exchanges with Oleg Voloshyn, a pro‑Russian Ukrainian politician and Gill’s handler and paymaster, which spoke of money for “the other MEP”.
The apparent intended recipient was only identified as “D” and “David.” One message mentioned a payment of $6,500 (around £5,000).
Covert operation
The bribes to Gill were part of a covert influence-buying operation on behalf of Russia run by Janusz Niedźwiecki, a Polish national arrested in 2021 on charges of collaborating with Russian intelligence.
Niedźwiecki is currently standing trial in Warsaw on charges of espionage for Russia.
The case, brought by Poland’s Internal Security Agency (ABW), centres on allegations that he acted on behalf of Russian intelligence between 2016 and 2021 to build spheres of influence in Europe and undermine Polish support for Ukraine’s pro-Western aspirations.
Denied receiving payments
The messages where money for another MEP is mentioned were exchanged in April 2019, shortly after Coburn joined Nigel Farage’s Brexit Party.
Coburn, questioned by the BBC at his residence in France, denied any wrongdoing. Asked if he had ever been paid to give a speech to promote pro-Russian campaigners, he simply said “No”.
Ties to oligarch
The BBC has stated that it has seen no evidence Coburn was directly offered or accepted money.
The CPS linked the WhatsApp discussions to editorial meetings for two Ukrainian TV channels, 112 Ukraine and NewsOne, both tied to oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk.
Medvedchuk, whose daughter counts Vladimir Putin as godfather, was described by Judge Mrs Justice Cheema‑Grubb as the “ultimate source” of the bribes Gill received.
Shortly after these meetings Gill and Coburn were appointed to a newly-formed “International Editorial Board” for the two broadcasters – alongside Gill’s handler and paymaster, Oleg Voloshin and other pro-Russian Ukrainian figures.
Gill was intercepted at Manchester Airport in 2021, days before he was due to speak at a Moscow conference, with counter‑terrorism officers seizing his phone.
Messages recovered from the phone provided much of the evidence which led to his conviction. He was jailed last week for ten‑and‑a‑half years after admitting eight counts of bribery linked to pro‑Russian propaganda.
