Farage did not declare funds received from businessman Arron Banks
The European Union have given Farage 24 hours to give an explanation in person for the funds he received from his friend, Arron Banks, co-founder of unofficial leave campaign Leave.EU.
A Channel 4 News investigation recently revealed emails and invoices suggesting that Farage had received funds to live in a £13,000 a month mansion in Chelsea from Banks, as well as having a chauffeur-driven car during the year of the EU referendum campaign.
The MEPs code of conduct states that all members must declare travel, accommodation or subsistence expenses from third parties. If Farage cannot give a competent explanation to the EU as to why these funds weren’t declared, he may lose his right to make a victory speech in July after his new party took the recent EU elections by storm.
The EU informed Farage of this summoning today before the Brexit Party leader met with US President Donald Trump in London for a meeting.
The Guardian are reporting that Farage has told them he has no intention of attending the hearing.
“I will not be attending at such short notice. And if they try to bar me from the building, who else gives voice to the thousands of people who voted for me? Is this democracy EU style?” Farage said, according to the Guardian.
“I did not receive any private money for political purposes. This committee would better spend its time investigating the waste of public money by well-known MEPs.”
Arron Banks is currently under investigation by UK’s National Crime Agency over allegations of criminal offences by him relating to funding for the unofficial leave campaign during the EU referendum campaign. He has denied any wrongdoing.
