icon bookmark-bicon bookmarkicon cameraicon checkicon chevron downicon chevron lefticon chevron righticon chevron upicon closeicon v-compressicon downloadicon editicon v-expandicon fbicon fileicon filtericon flag ruicon full chevron downicon full chevron lefticon full chevron righticon full chevron upicon gpicon insicon mailicon moveicon-musicicon mutedicon nomutedicon okicon v-pauseicon v-playicon searchicon shareicon sign inicon sign upicon stepbackicon stepforicon swipe downicon tagicon tagsicon tgicon trashicon twicon vkicon yticon wticon fm
1 Nov, 2018 12:39

Arron Banks being investigated by National Crime Agency over alleged offences during Brexit vote

Arron Banks being investigated by National Crime Agency over alleged offences during Brexit vote

Arron Banks and his Leave.EU campaign group are being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) over suspected electoral law offences around the 2016 EU Referendum.

Banks, along with Leave.EU, Better for the Country (BFTC) and another senior campaign figure, Elizabeth Bilney, were referred to the NCA, Britain’s equivalent to the FBI, by the Electoral Commission.

Reuters reported that Banks stated he had received no foreign money, no Russian money and that he was a UK taxpayer. He added that he welcomed the investigation "as an opportunity to clear up the matter."

READ MORE: Pro-Brexit donor Arron Banks admits meeting Russian ambassador … then briefing US security services

In a statement, The NCA admitted that while electoral crimes are not under their usual remit, they would be investigating due to the "the potential for offences to have been committed other than under electoral law."

"This is now a live investigation, and we are unable to discuss any operational detail."

In turn, the Electoral Commission released its own statement confirming that they made the reference to the NCA over a £2 million (US$2.58 million) loan to BFTC, which ran Leave.EU, by Banks and his group of insurance companies.

Earlier in the year, Banks, alongside former Leave.EU spokesperson Andy Wigmore, were grilled by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee over alleged contact the pair had with Russian officials. 

If you like this story, share it with a friend!

Subscribe to RT newsletter to get stories the mainstream media won’t tell you.

Podcasts
0:00
25:36
0:00
26:25