Former Ukip Figure Denies Russian Payment Allegations
David Coburn, who led Ukip Scotland between 2014 and 2018, has strongly denied receiving any payments to promote Russian interests following the conviction of his former colleague Nathan Gill for bribery offences. The denial comes after WhatsApp messages revealed discussions about potential payments to Coburn between Gill and an alleged pro-Russian asset.
Jailed Colleague and Message Evidence
Nathan Gill, a prominent member of both Ukip and the Brexit party groups, was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison last Friday after admitting to eight counts of bribery. The offences occurred between 6 December 2018 and 18 July 2019 while Gill served as an MEP.
Crown Prosecution Service documents presented during Gill's trial showed encrypted messages exchanged with Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian MEP accused of acting as a pro-Russian asset. The conversations specifically mentioned Coburn, who represented Scotland as an MEP from 2014 to 2019.
In one particularly damning exchange from April 2019, Gill messaged Voloshyn asking "I'm seeing D. In the morning. How much was for him?" to which Voloshyn replied "6.5 USD". The individual referred to as "D" and "David" in subsequent messages appears to be David Coburn.
European Parliament Connections and Ukrainian Visit
The message exchange occurred just before a meeting of the editorial board for 112 Ukraine, a pro-Russian Ukrainian channel that counted both Gill and Coburn among its members. Prosecutors allege Voloshyn was working for Viktor Medvedchuk, described as Vladimir Putin's most important ally in Ukraine before Russia's full-scale invasion.
Further evidence emerged of Coburn's connections to pro-Russian activities through a October 2018 visit to Ukraine alongside Gill and another Ukip MEP, Jonathan Arnott. During this trip, all three politicians made statements to pro-Russian media outlets.
Weeks following the Ukraine visit, both Coburn and Arnott participated in a European Parliament debate about Ukraine, speaking after Gill. Arnott has since rejected any suggestions that he maintained links to Russia or acted in its interests.
When approached by BBC journalists outside a property in France, Coburn gave a simple "no" when asked if he had ever received payment for making speeches supporting pro-Russian campaigners. The former MEP has made no public statements since Gill's sentencing and hasn't responded to multiple invitations to comment from the Guardian.
It's important to note that no evidence has emerged proving Coburn committed any crimes, and he maintains his denial of any involvement in the bribery scheme that ensnared his former colleague.
