Nigel Farage 'docked half MEP salary' to reclaim misused public funds
2 min read
Nigel Farage has reportedly been docked half of his monthly MEP salary after a European Parliament investigation found he had misused public funds.
The controversial former Ukip leader will lose £35,000 in total after European auditors alleged he had misspent money meant for his EU office, according to the Guardian.
Auditors were investigating the role of Christopher Adams, a man who was hired by Mr Farage to work as his assistant in the European Parliament.
Mr Adams’ contract was suspended last year amid concerns about the nature of his role.
Despite being paid with EU money for a role in the European Parliament, Mr Adams was also the national nominating officer for UKIP.
Full-time MEP assistants are not allowed to do any paid work for any national political party.
“Since 1 January [2018] the European parliament has withheld 50% in order to recoup the €40,000 due in salary that was paid to Christopher Adams and which cannot be proved by Farage,” a parliamentary source told the paper.
Mr Farage has recently complained he is “53, separated and skint” after a two-decade fight for a referendum on Britain’s EU membership.
However, his pension as an MEP is understood to be worth £73,000 per year and he will also be entitled to a transitional allowance of £117,000 when Britain leaves the EU next year.
He is one of eight UKIP MEPs who were investigated by the European Parliamentary authorities for misuse of public funds last year.
Two investigations were closed without any formal action.
However, one of the party’s most senior figures, Roger Helmer, resigned last summer after an investigation demanded he repay £100,000.
Mr Helmer denied any wrongdoing but gave no explanation as to why he was stepping down.
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