09.45 – Fine for the official pro-Brexit campaign for breaking the electoral code

The official campaign for the vote in favor of the Brexit, Vote Leave, was fined 61,000 pounds (69,000 euros) for violating the electoral law, announced Tuesday the Electoral Commission, who has referred them to the police.The Electoral Commission has "conducted a thorough investigation into the expenses and campaigns led by Vote Leave and BeLeave", a group also campaigning for Brexit in the referendum on whether or not to maintain in the EU , in June 2016, and "found substantial evidence that the two groups were working on a common plan, did not declare their work together and did not respect the legal (campaign) spending limits." Vote Leave has exceeded the spending limit of almost 500,000 pounds (565,000 euros), said the Commission which adds having forwarded the file to the police. Since the beginning of the investigation, Vote Leave has "refused to cooperate, rejected our requests for interviews with a representative (of the movement), and forced us to use our legal powers to compel him to provide evidence," he said. stressed the Electoral Commission. "Nevertheless, we found clear and important evidence." In May, the British Electoral Commission had imposed another £ 70,000 (£ 79,000) fine on another pro-Brexit movement, Leave.EU, for multiple irregularities in funding its campaign for the referendum on leaving the Union. June 2016. "Leave.EU did not correctly report what it spent in the European referendum", "exceeded its expenditure ceiling" by at least 10% and "produces declarations of expenditure and Incomplete and inaccurate transactions, "the Commission said. Created in 2015, to defend a UK exit from the European Union, Leave.EU was supported by the former leader of the Ukip party Ukip, Nigel Farage, but was not part of the official referendum campaign. High on social networks and focused on a strong anti-establishment sentiment, Leave.EU was decisive in the British vote for a Brexit in the June 23, 2016 referendum. The British voted 52 % to leave the EU in the referendum of 23 June 2016. (Belga)

© 2018 Belga. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. All information reproduced in this section (news, photos, logos) is protected by intellectual property rights held by Belga. Therefore, none of this information may be reproduced, modified, reposted, translated, exploited commercially or reused in any way whatsoever without the prior written consent of Belga.