UKIP: Farage faces jail threat

13/06/2014

This is from the Electoral Commission, which means that Farage potentially faces a maximum fine of £20,000 or up to a year in jail, "if the Electoral Commission decides to refer the case for criminal prosecution and Mr Farage is convicted".

Its investigation was prompted when The Times reported that Farage had been given a constituency office near Littlehampton, West Sussex, rent-free since 2001, shortly after he had became an MEP. He did not declare the gift until 16 May this year.

Seeking to excuse their leader, the party claims that Farage declared the use of a rent-free office in his European Parliament Register of Interests, from 2001. However, The Times has documents from 2001 and the first half of 2002, which failed to show this gift from J Longhurst Ltd.

The paper has the declaration for 2013 but officials have been unable to provide documents covering the intervening period. However, there are copies from 2012 and 2009. They do have the declaration (although no value indicated).

The party claims that the premises has been used as Farage's MEP office so the European Parliamentary register was the logical place for it to be declared. "Mr Farage was surprised to learn that the Electoral Commission thought it should be informed as well as this did not accord with the professional advice he had received at the time", it says.

Yesterday the commission published figures showing that rent for the office, which was provided by John Longhurst, a local farmer and UKIP supporter, had now been declared as a donation-in-kind worth £15,000 a year since 2001.

Mr Longhurst also registered an additional donation-in-kind of more than £10,000 in early 2001, bringing the total value of the donations to £205,602. The commission said that it was considering what disciplinary action to take against Mr Farage for breaching electoral law.

The paper, however, says the belated declaration also raises fresh questions over how the MEP used EU funds intended to pay for the office. Farage claims to have spent an average of £15,500 a year of EU money on "office management and running costs", which solely covers rent, utilities, business rates and insurance and cleaning for the former grain store.

As Farage has received the office rent-free since 2001, his total spending on the management costs, which excludes stationery, staff salaries, office equipment and communications, could reach almost £200,000. This opens Farage to possible investigation by OLAF, the EU anti-fraud body.

We've heard so much of this before that we've learned not to expect much from the process. However, if the Electoral Commission does decide to take formal action, we could possibly see court proceedings at the same time as the general election.

What else comes out of the woodwork is anybody's guess, but there are plenty of people working on bringing more to the surface. "Teflon" Farage might nevertheless get away with it again, but if he does, it won't be for want of trying. There are a lot of people after him.

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