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The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has pleaded guilty to bribery charges over money he received in exchange for making statements in the European parliament that would benefit Russia.

On Friday, Nathan Gill admitted eight counts of bribery on dates between December 6 2018 and July 18 2019.

The Old Bailey court in London heard that Gill had received payment from former Ukrainian politician Oleg Voloshyn to make statements about events in Ukraine that were favourable to Russia.

It was alleged the 52-year-old from Llangefni on Anglesey wrote opinion pieces for news outlets and made statements as an MEP that were “supportive of a particular narrative” that would “benefit Russia regarding events in Ukraine”.

One of the outlets was 112 Ukraine — a pro-Russian channel that was banned by Ukraine in 2021 — before Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

On Friday, the Old Bailey was told that Gill was tasked by Voloshyn on at least eight occasions to make specific statements in return for money.

The charges stated that as an elected member of the European parliament for the constituency of Wales in the UK, Gill “agreed to receive financial advantage, namely money”, which constituted “the improper performance” as the holder of an elected office.

Gill denied one charge of conspiracy to commit bribery that stated he had conspired with Voloshyn and “others” between January 1, 2018, and February 1, 2020, and that he accepted “quantities of money in cash” which was “improper performance by him of his function or activity as the holder” of a position in the European parliament.

The prosecution is no longer pursuing the conspiracy charge. 

Gill was a member of the European parliament for the UK Independence party and then for Nigel Farage’s Brexit party between 2014 and 2020. The party has since rebranded as Reform UK.

Reform UK declined to comment. People familiar with the matter said that Gill was not a member of Reform UK, and has not been involved with the party since 2021.

In 2021, Gill was announced as the leader of Reform in Wales, and ran its campaign for the Senedd election. He quit the party shortly after losing the election, Reform subsequently said.

Dominic Murphy, head of the London Metropolitan police’s counter terrorism command, which led the investigation, said: “Our investigation uncovered an elected MEP was taking payments to peddle narratives that would have had the effect of being beneficial towards Russian interests.”

“This case goes to the heart of our democratic values,” he added.

Gill was arrested on September 13, 2021, under anti-terror legislation, according to a case summary provided by the CPS. He will be sentenced for the bribery offences in November.

Additional reporting by Alistair Gray