## Reform UK’s Former Wales Leader to be Sentenced in Pro-Russia Bribery Case
Nathan Gill, teh former leader of Reform UK in Wales, is awaiting sentencing after being convicted of receiving bribes linked to Russian interests, a scandal that raises fresh questions about the party’s relationship with Vladimir Putin. The case centers on illicit payments received while Gill was a Member of the European Parliament, with authorities alleging the funds were intended to influence his political positions in favor of Russia.
while police state ther is no evidence reform UK leader Nigel Farage was aware of Gill’s criminal activity, the controversy is politically awkward for the party, which has faced consistent criticism over Farage’s past statements and appearances perceived as sympathetic to the Kremlin. The sentencing comes as scrutiny intensifies over potential foreign interference in democratic processes and as the UK continues to support Ukraine against russian aggression.
gill and Farage were colleagues in the European Parliament and campaigned together for the Brexit Party in 2019. Farage has said he was “stunned” by the revelations, stating earlier this month, “I didn’t know anything about it, all I knew was that he’d been to ukraine.”
The bribery saga has resurfaced past accusations of a soft stance on putin leveled against Farage. In 2014, he stated he “admired” Putin “as an operator.” He has also drawn criticism for appearances on the Russian state-controlled RT (Russia Today) television network.Further fueling the controversy, Farage tweeted in 2022 that Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine was “a outcome of EU and Nato expansion,” echoing a longstanding position of Putin’s.
