By Ben Kerrigan-
The National Crime Agency has launched an investigation into Arron Banks and his Leave.EU campaign for alleged offences committed at the 2016 EU referendum.
Mr Banks and another senior campaign figure, Liz Bilney, and a few others who have not been named were referred to the agency by the Electoral Commission.
The watchdog expressed suspicion that Mr Banks ad violated UK laws and that Mr. Banks was not the “true source” of loans to the campaign, but rather, the money had come “from impermissible sources”.
Under UK law introduced by the Labour government in 2000, loans and donations to registered campaigners can only come from permissible sources. This essentially excludes overseas or foreign funding.
The law was introduced by the Labour government in 2000 after a series of scandals involving overseas donors accused of trying to influence British laws and elections.
In a statement, the NCA said: “The NCA has initiated an investigation concerning the entities Better for the Country (BFTC) and Leave.EU; as well as Arron Banks, Elizabeth Bilney and other individuals. This follows our acceptance of a referral of material from the Electoral Commission.
“Our investigation relates to suspected electoral law offences covered by that referral, as well as any associated offences.
“While electoral law offences would not routinely fall within the NCA’s remit, the nature of the necessary inquiries and the potential for offences to have been committed other than under electoral law lead us to consider an NCA investigation appropriate in this instance.
“This is now a live investigation, and we are unable to discuss any operational detail.”
Arron Banks said he is “confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations levelled against me and my colleagues” after the Electoral Commission referred the Leave campaigner to the National Crime Agency.
Mr Banks said: “I am pleased that the Electoral Commission has referred me to the National Crime Agency. I am confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations levelled against me and my colleagues.
“There is no evidence of any wrongdoing from the companies I own. I am a UK taxpayer and I have never received any foreign donations. The Electoral Commission has produced no evidence to the contrary.
“The Electoral Commission has referred me to the National Crime Agency under intense political pressure from anti-Brexit supporters.
“I am already in court with the Electoral Commission. In witness statements the commission has admitted it got its figures wrong in relation to a previous investigation and it even submitted its final report without taking evidence from us.
“Isn’t it funny that none of the financial contributions made by George Soros to British political campaigns are ever subject to any level of scrutiny by the Electoral Commission despite his being a foreign national.”
Mr Banks denied any wrongdoing and said he welcomed the police investigation.
He said he was “confident that a full and frank investigation will finally put an end to the ludicrous allegations leveled against me and my colleagues”.
“There is no evidence of any wrongdoing from the companies I own. I am a UK taxpayer and I have never received any foreign donations. The Electoral Commission has produced no evidence to the contrary,” he added in a statement.He claimed the Electoral Commission had acted “under intense political pressure from anti-Brexit supporters”.
Mr Banks is currently in Bermuda, from where he tweeted a picture of himself following the news of the police investigation.
Picture Credits: Press Association