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Nigel Farage 'has £35k pay docked by EU over misspending claim' | Nigel Farage 'has £35k pay docked by EU over misspending claim' |
(about 1 hour later) | |
Nigel Farage has had his MEP's salary docked by £35,500 after claims he misspent EU funds, the BBC understands. | |
The ex-UKIP leader was investigated by the European Parliament over claims his office assistant had not been working on EU matters. | |
Half of his salary has been withheld to recoup the money the Parliament says it is owed. | Half of his salary has been withheld to recoup the money the Parliament says it is owed. |
The move was condemned by a spokesman for the European Parliament group which Mr Farage heads. | The move was condemned by a spokesman for the European Parliament group which Mr Farage heads. |
UKIP faces UK probe into EU funding | |
"There is a vindictive campaign by the European Parliament of selective persecution of Eurosceptic MEPs, parties and groups," said the spokesman for the European Freedom and Direct Democracy group. | "There is a vindictive campaign by the European Parliament of selective persecution of Eurosceptic MEPs, parties and groups," said the spokesman for the European Freedom and Direct Democracy group. |
"This allegation is all part of their politically motivated assault." | "This allegation is all part of their politically motivated assault." |
European Parliament auditors last year suspended the contract of Christopher Adams, who was hired to be Mr Farage's assistant in Brussels and Strasbourg. | European Parliament auditors last year suspended the contract of Christopher Adams, who was hired to be Mr Farage's assistant in Brussels and Strasbourg. |
Mr Adams, a former UKIP Parliamentary candidate, was also the national nominating officer for UKIP, the Guardian, which first reported the story says. | |
The European Parliament has declined to comment. | |
The monthly pre-tax salary for an MEP is 8,484 euros (£7,530), which is the equivalent of an annual gross salary, before tax, of 101,808 euros (£90,235). They also receive thousands more in expenses for staff and travel costs. | |
Mr Farage, who will lose his job as an MEP in 2019 after 20 years in the European Parliament, recently described himself as "skint" in an interview with Mail on Sunday. | |
The 53-year-old will be entitled to annual EU pension of £73,000 when he reaches the age of 63. | |
He denied claims of hypocrisy - after campaigning for Brexit - saying: "Why should my family suffer?" | |
"I have just voted to get rid of my job. I was the turkey that voted for Christmas. How is that hypocrisy?," he told the BBC's Andrew Marr show. | |
He added that he doubted the money, which would be partly funded by money from the so-called EU divorce bill, would ever be paid, saying: "Given the arbitrary way the European Union behaves in terms of money, I would be very surprised if I get any of it. I don't think it will even occur." | |
A 2016 investigation by the European Parliament alleged funds for the EFDD group - which includes UKIP and other Eurosceptic parties - had been wrongly spent "for the benefit of UKIP". | |
It said the group should repay £146,696 of the funds intended for European Parliament business. | |
An Electoral Commission investigation into whether the party broke UK electoral law is ongoing. |