Brexit: NCA finds ‘no evidence’ of criminal activity by Arron Banks or Leave.EU
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has found “no evidence” that Leave.EU or its founder Arron Banks have committed criminal offences.
The pro-Brexit campaign group was fined £70,000 by the Electoral Commission in May 2018, prompting the agency to launch a probe into the organisation.
Read more: Met Police drop investigation into Arron Banks’ and Nigel Farage’s Leave.EU
But today the NCA dropped its investigation and ruled out any further action against Banks, Leave. EU or its chief executive Liz Bilney.
Banks tweeted today: “Victory is sweet.”
The Electoral Commission investigation had focused on £8m in loans provided to Leave.EU and Better for the Country Ltd, saying it suspected Banks was not the true source of the loans.
But the NCA today said it “has not received any evidence to suggest that Mr Banks and his companies received funding from any third party to fund the loans, or that he acted as an agent on behalf of a third party”.
“No overseas money was used in the Brexit campaign, it was my money,” Banks said today.
“We intend to issue a claim against the EC for the decision to refer this matter to the @NCA publicly. We calculate the losses well over £10million.”
The NCA investigation concluded that Banks was legally entitled to take a loan from one of his companies, Rock Holdings.
He also acted lawfully when he instructed Rock to transfer that money into Better for the Country, a private company of which Banks is a director.
“The NCA has found no evidence that any criminal offences have been committed,” it said in a statement.
“It will therefore take no further action against Mr Banks, Ms Bilney, Better for the Country Ltd or Leave.EU in respect of this specific matter.”
An Electoral Commission spokesperson said in a statement: “We are concerned about the apparent weakness in the law, highlighted by this investigation outcome, which allows overseas funds into UK politics.
“We have made recommendations that would tighten the rules on campaign funding and deter breaches. We urge the UK’s governments to act on those recommendations to support voter confidence.”
Read more: Leave.EU and Arron Banks fined £120,000 for illegal marketing
Today’s decision follows the Met Police dropping an investigation into Arron Banks and Leave.EU last Friday.
Police acknowledged there were “some technical breaches of electoral law” but said there was “insufficient evidence to justify any further criminal investigation”.