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1 Nov, 2018 12:39

Arron Banks being investigated by National Crime Agency over alleged offences during Brexit vote

Arron Banks being investigated by National Crime Agency over alleged offences during Brexit vote

Arron Banks and his Leave.EU campaign group are being investigated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) over suspected electoral law offences around the 2016 EU Referendum.

Banks, along with Leave.EU, Better for the Country (BFTC) and another senior campaign figure, Elizabeth Bilney, were referred to the NCA, Britain’s equivalent to the FBI, by the Electoral Commission.

Reuters reported that Banks stated he had received no foreign money, no Russian money and that he was a UK taxpayer. He added that he welcomed the investigation "as an opportunity to clear up the matter."

READ MORE: Pro-Brexit donor Arron Banks admits meeting Russian ambassador … then briefing US security services

In a statement, The NCA admitted that while electoral crimes are not under their usual remit, they would be investigating due to the "the potential for offences to have been committed other than under electoral law."

"This is now a live investigation, and we are unable to discuss any operational detail."

In turn, the Electoral Commission released its own statement confirming that they made the reference to the NCA over a £2 million (US$2.58 million) loan to BFTC, which ran Leave.EU, by Banks and his group of insurance companies.

Earlier in the year, Banks, alongside former Leave.EU spokesperson Andy Wigmore, were grilled by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee over alleged contact the pair had with Russian officials. 

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