Investigation Into UKIP Funding Misuse a 'Witch Hunt,' MEP Tells Sputnik

The current interim leader of UKIP, Nigel Farage, is being investigated by the Electoral Commission after it emerged that there may have been breaches of party funding rules that surfaced last week.

The European Parliament Bureau has already ruled that the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (ADDE), to which UKIP is affiliated, will have to pay back a total of US$182,267 after claiming the group misused EU funding.​

The Electoral Commission has now opened its own investigation into whether UKIP accepted "impermissible donations" from the ADDE and its affiliated foundation, the Initiative for Direct Democracy in Europe (IDDE).

Member of the European parliament (MEP) from UKIP Roger Helmer, spoke to Sputnik about the allegations and said that the whole situation mirrored that of a "witch hunt." 

"We knew ADDE expenditure would be subject to intense scrutiny, so we bent over backwards to ensure compliance," Mr. Helmer told Sputnik.

"We hired not one, but two long-serving compliance officers who had experience of working for years with other groups in the parliament. They were astonished at the parliament's rejection of our activity — which is identical to that of other groups. But pro-EU groups are not similarly challenged."

Roger Helmer also told Sputnik that the Alliance for Direct Democracy in Europe (ADDE) is a group of political parties from a number of European countries, based on MEPs who are also members of our ADDE Group, but also national and regional parliamentarians from other countries, where UKIP have no MEP representation. It enables the party to access significant funding from the European Parliament to use in various ways to promote our values.

Mr. Helmer added that some people in the party have reservations about using EU money in this way. However, Helmer said that if it did not exist the parties' budget would not be returned to member states or the tax-payer. 

"It would simply be redistributed to pro-EU groups in the parliament, who already get the lions' share of the funding. I personally have no qualms about getting a little of our own money back and using it to promote freedom and democracy," Mr. Helmer told Sputnik.

"Much of our expenditure was on polling (as is that of other groups). We published the results of our polling. It was available to all political parties and media outlets, in the UK and overseas and it cannot therefore, be seen as 'indirect campaigning' for any particular party. Much of this activity was in the UK, which in view of the Brexit vote was of great interest to politicians of all persuasions across Europe."

Mr. Helmer believes that UKIP have been subjected to hostile and aggressive interrogation by the parliament's administration, who repeatedly asked the same questions, and ignored the answers and supporting evidence. 

"I must particularly credit the resilience and determination of our ADDE Director Yasmine Dehaene, who showed exemplary patience and courtesy in the face of sustained provocation.

"It is clear that this was a long-planned and determined effort by the parliament with a view to closing us down. It also appeared to have the parallel objectives of intimidating our staff and wasting their time," Mr. Helmer added.

An audit of the ADDE found that they had financed polling in the UK between February and December 2015. This included pre-election surveys in Thanet South. Within the audit carried out, the commission found that nine opinion polls ahead of the 2015 election and 2016 EU referendum were in breach of European party financing.

In a statement, the Electoral Commission said that the ADDE and its affiliate IDDE, as with other European political parties and foundations, can receive grant funding from the European Union (EU). This funding can cover up to 85 percent of the parties' eligible expenditure and be used for a range of activity, from administrative functions through to the campaign costs connected to European elections.

"It cannot, however, be used for a range of other specified purposes, including for the direct or indirect funding of national parties, election candidates and political foundations at either the national or European level," the statement read.

Mr. Helmer said that the party is now working closely with the commission to remedy what has happened. However, they will challenge these accusations. UKIP has been under increasing pressure lately, with the recent party leader elections and infighting.

However, with this new found friendship between President-elect Donald Trump and UKIP interim leader Nigel Farage, hope is on the horizon, even if these latest allegations only add further fuel to the fire, for a party which led Britain out of the EU.