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The billionaire who gave more than $ 10 million to a campaign urging the United Kingdom to vote in favor of the exit of the European Union is now the subject of a criminal investigation into the " source of funds, which raises the question of whether foreign funds could have influenced the Brexit referendum.
On Thursday, Arron Banks was referred to Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA), the body charged with investigating serious and organized crimes, by the British Electoral Commission. Banks is the largest donor of British political history and co-founder of Leave.EU, a Brexit campaign group led by Nigel Farage during the referendum campaign of 2016. (There is no indication that Farage is currently doing the same thing. Subject of investigation or is suspected of any wrongdoing.)
Banks said in a statement that he was pleased with the investigation and that he was confident that the "ridiculous allegations" made against him would be dispelled.
At the center of the investigation are $ 10.3 million in loans from Banks and its campaign for another anti-EU party. campaign group, Best for the country, of which $ 3.8 million was spent campaigning during the referendum. "Following its investigation, the Commission has reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr. Banks was not the true source of the $ 10.3 million loans made to Best for the country," the Electoral Commission said in a statement. a statement.
The investigation into alleged violations of election expenses regulation, which began in November 2017, may call into question the legitimacy of the outcome of the leave. This also raises the question of whether the alien money was used to urge the British electorate to vote in favor of the exit of the European Union in June 2016.
The reference of the banks to the NCA by the Electoral Commission was raised about the role played by a company based in the Isle of Man, an island off the coast of Britain escaping the authority Commission, in the money flows between banks, .EU and better for the country.
"They talked about the possibility of starting a business on the Isle of Man, which could be the real source of the donations," said Thursday at TIME US MP Damian Collins, chairman of the UK government investigation on online misinformation. "What should be investigated is where does the money come from that company's account? Is the money coming from this company? The concern will be – we raised in our report concerns about the nature of Banks' relationship with the Russians. "
Reportage by New York Time and the Observer in London showed that Banks had undisclosed talks with the Russian ambassador to the United Kingdom during the Brexit and Trump campaigns, during which he was offered favorable contracts to invest in gold and diamonds. The banks acknowledge the meetings but say that he has not accepted any offers.
Collins said in a separate statement: "We have evidence of Mr. Banks' talks with the contacts of the Russian Embassy, including the Russian Ambassador, about possible gold and diamond deals and the transmission of confidential information by Mr. Banks. The Electoral Commission should continue to investigate donations made by Arron Banks to the holiday campaign to verify that the funds did not come from abroad. "
Arron Banks blamed "the intense political pressure exerted by anti-Brexit supporters" on the National Crime Agency's decision to open an investigation. "I am happy that the electoral commission has referred me to the National Crime Agency," he said. "I am convinced that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ridiculous accusations made against me and my colleagues."
"There is no evidence of wrongdoing on the part of the companies I own. I am a British taxpayer and have never received donations from abroad. The Electoral Commission has not provided any evidence to the contrary. "
Banks also mentioned George Soros, one of the leading funders of liberal democratic movements in the world and a frequent hate figure among right-wing groups. "Is not it funny that none of George Soros' financial contributions to the British political campaigns has ever been scrutinized by the Electoral Commission even though he is a foreign national" said Banks.
Soros would have donated $ 647,000 to Best for Britain, a group that is pleading for a second referendum, but not long after the June 2016 vote. As it was not done at any time. a political campaign, the gift would not have been subject to the same rules.
"He is the biggest donor of British political history," Collins told TIME, referring to Banks. "It's a useless distraction for him to try to bring other things."
