David Coburn, a former Ukip MEP for Scotland, has denied allegations that he accepted money to promote Russian interests. The denial comes after his former colleague Nathan Gill was jailed for 10 and a half years for taking bribes to make pro-Russia statements while serving as an MEP.
Coburn, who led Ukip in Scotland from 2014 to 2019, was mentioned in WhatsApp messages between Gill and Oleg Voloshyn, a former Ukrainian MEP accused of orchestrating the bribery. The messages, released by prosecutors, included discussions about payments to an individual identified as “David” or “D”. In one exchange, Gill asked Voloshyn how much was for “him”, with Voloshyn replying “6.5 USD”.
The messages were sent in April 2019 ahead of a meeting at the European Parliament of the editorial board of 112 Ukraine, a pro-Russian Ukrainian channel, which included Gill and Coburn as members. Voloshyn was working for Viktor Medvedchuk, a key ally of Vladimir Putin in Ukraine before Russia’s full-scale invasion.
When approached by a BBC journalist outside a property in France, Coburn reportedly answered “no” when asked if he had ever been paid to give a speech promoting pro-Russian campaigners. He has not made any public comment since Gill’s sentencing and has not responded to requests for comment from the Guardian, which has seen no evidence that Coburn committed any crimes.
Coburn and another Ukip MEP, Jonathan Arnott, visited Ukraine with Gill in October 2018, making statements to pro-Russian media. Arnott has rejected any suggestion of links to Russia or acting in its interests.
