Overview

• Gill admitted at the Old Bailey that he took money between December 2018 and July 2019 in return for parliamentary and media statements that prosecutors said benefited Russian interests regarding Ukraine.
• Prosecutors cited WhatsApp messages recovered after a 2021 airport stop and subsequent device seizures that matched payments to specific statements, including some published by 112 Ukraine.
• He denied a separate conspiracy to commit bribery charge linked to former Ukrainian politician Oleg Voloshyn, and the judge ordered that count to lie on file.
• Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb granted conditional bail and warned the 52-year-old father of five that he faces a substantial custodial sentence.
• The Met’s Counter Terrorism Command said the case showed an elected MEP was paid to promote narratives favorable to Russia, describing the conduct as an attack on democratic values.