Political reporter, BBC Wales News<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n The former leader of Reform UK in Wales has appeared in court accused of accepting bribes in exchange for making favourable statements about Russia in the European Parliament.<\/p>\n Nathan Gill is charged with eight counts of bribery and one count of conspiracy to commit bribery.<\/p>\n Westminster Magistrates’ Court heard allegations he made statements in the European Parliament and in opinion pieces to news outlets, such as 112 Ukraine, which were “supportive of a particular narrative” which would “benefit Russia regarding events in Ukraine”.<\/p>\n During Monday’s hearing, the 51-year-old spoke only to confirm his name, date of birth and address with no pleas being entered to the charges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n The defendant is alleged to have been tasked by Oleg Voloshyn on at least eight occasions to make specific statements in return for money.<\/p>\n A spokesperson for Reform Wales said Mr Gill “is not a member of Reform UK”.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Mr Gill was stopped at Manchester Airport on September 13 2021 under the Counter Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019, the court also heard.<\/p>\n He was an MEP for almost six years and briefly represented north Wales in the Welsh Parliament.<\/p>\n Mr Gill was first elected as a UKIP MEP in 2014 and joined the National Assembly, as it was then called, in 2016.<\/p>\n He was an Assembly Member for just over a year, before he was replaced by Mandy Jones in December 2017.<\/p>\n He served as UKIP’s leader for Wales and was briefly an independent before joining Reform’s predecessor organisation, the Brexit Party, in 2019.<\/p>\n![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/480\/cpsprodpb\/57aa\/live\/f089f0c0-efac-11ef-a69b-217c96182c8e.jpg.webp\")
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