Politics
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LONDON - Brexit campaign donor Arron Banks has been referred to the National Crime Agency over "multiple suspected offences" relating to funding during the EU referendum campaign.
Banks - the millionaire businessman who funded UKIP during Nigel Farage's leadership - is to be investigated for alleged criminal offences along with Leave.EU, the pro-Brexit campaign group he funded.
The Electoral Commission announced on Thursday morning that it had referred Banks and Better For The Country, the group which ran Leave.EU, to the National Crime Agency.
Banks is accused of falsely claiming to be the source of £8 million that was loaned to Better For The Country and put towards Leave.EU campaigning.
Banks has consistently denied allegations of any wrongdoing and illegal behaviour in the weeks of campaigning leading up to the 2016 referendum.
In a statement published on Thursday, the Electoral Commission said:
A number of companies and individuals have been referred to the National Crime Agency for suspected criminal offences committed during the EU referendum.
Following its investigation into funding for the 2016 EU referendum, the Electoral Commission has referred: Better for the Country, the organisation that ran the Leave.EU referendum campaign; Arron Banks; Leave.EU; Elizabeth Bilney; and other associated companies and individuals. The National Crime Agency has now launched a criminal investigation.
The investigation focused on £2m reported to have been loaned to Better for the Country by Arron Banks and his group of insurance companies and a further £6m reported to have been given to the organisation, on behalf of Leave.EU, by Arron Banks alone.
£2.9m of this money was used to fund referendum spending on behalf of Leave.EU and donations to other campaign groups during the EU referendum.
Following its investigation, the Commission has reasonable grounds to suspect that:
- Mr Banks was not the true source of the £8m loans made to Better for the Country.
- Loans to Better for the Country, on behalf of Leave.EU involved a non-qualifying or impermissible company - Rock Holdings Limited, which is incorporated in the Isle of Man.
- Arron Banks, Elizabeth Bilney and others involved in Better for the Country, Leave.EU and associated companies concealed the true details of these financial transactions.
- A number of criminal offences may have been committed.
Due to multiple suspected offences, some of which fall outside the Commission's remit, the Commission has referred this matter and handed its evidence to the National Crime Agency.
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