Former Welsh Reform UK leader pleads guilty to bribery over pro-Russian statements

Nathan Gill, 52, of Anglesey, North Wales, pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019 at the Old Bailey on Friday.

The charges relate to when Gill was a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) for Wales before the UK left the European Union in 2020. He also led Reform's 2021 Welsh Parliament election campaign, but is no longer a member of the party.

Leaving aside the obvious 'another kick in the nuts for Reform' angle, this is an interesting story.

The charges state that he "agreed to receive financial advantage, namely money" in exchange for statements in both the EU Parliament and opinion pieces for news outlets such as 112 Ukraine that were "supportive of a particular narrative" and would "benefit Russia regarding events in Ukraine".

The narrative supported was 'pro-Russian' (wrong, evil) as opposed to 'pro-Ukraine' (right, good). Ah of course, the old Marvel comic view of complex situations.

He was told to make such statements on eight occasions by Oleg Voloshyn - who had been a Ukrainian government official before 2014 - "and others", before accepting "quantities of money in cash", the court heard.

112 Ukraine was a 'pro-Russian' Ukrainian news channel that was banned in Ukraine in 2021 and its then owner sanctioned. This is analogous to banning GB News in the UK for its anti-goverment rhetoric and sanctioning its owner Sir Paul Marshall.

It wouldn't be OK in the UK but it's OK in 'democratic' Ukraine.

Apparently Gill was bribed by Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian journalist and MP, who now faces up to 15 years in prison according to The New Voice of Ukraine who also state that: The United States imposed sanctions against him in January 2022 for “destabilization” in Ukraine.

[https://english.nv.ua/nation/traitorous-former-pro-russian-mp-voloshyn-faces-15-years-in-prison-50321370.html]

This is a bit like someone in Scotland calling for independence from the UK being accused of 'destabilization', threatened with imprisonment and sanctioned by the USA, who have nothing to do with Scotland (or Ukraine for that matter, except we all know they have been directing and supporting the proxy war for years).

Bribery is wrong and illegal.

Gill must have been either stupid or desperate to accept bribes in this way thinking that no-one would join the dots.

But having unpaid-for opinions about so-called Russian 'talking-points' (i.e. anything that does not conform to the carefully constructed MSM narrative about Ukraine] is not illegal in the UK - yet - and nor should it ever be.

Otherwise all those celebs rightly condemning Israel's actions in Gaza would be up in court too for supporting the 'talking points' of Palestinian 'terrorists'.

That is what free speech is all about in a genuine democracy - not fake democracies that sanction people for expressing opinions contrary to the Government and their captive MSM's carefully constructed narrative - whether that free speech is deemed 'destabilising' or not.

Otherwise the UK will end up like Moldova, GB News would be banned and Nigel Farage would already be in jail - just like Evghenia Guțul and others in Moldova.