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| Nigel Farage expenses: Ukip leader accused over 'missing' £50,000 EU funding paid into personal bank account | |
| (about 7 hours later) | |
| Ukip faces the prospect of financial investigation amid allegations that its leader Nigel Farage is responsible for more than £50,000 of “missing” European Union funding that was paid directly into his personal bank account. | Ukip faces the prospect of financial investigation amid allegations that its leader Nigel Farage is responsible for more than £50,000 of “missing” European Union funding that was paid directly into his personal bank account. |
| Mr Farage is understood to have received £15,500 a year from Brussels since 2009 designated to the upkeep of his constituency office, a small farmyard building in Lyminster, West Sussex. | Mr Farage is understood to have received £15,500 a year from Brussels since 2009 designated to the upkeep of his constituency office, a small farmyard building in Lyminster, West Sussex. |
| However a former political assistant to the party says the office was donated rent-free to Mr Farage by party supporters 15 years ago. Utilities and other non-rental costs amount to no more than £3,000 a year, according to the former office manager, leaving about £12,000 a year unexplained. | However a former political assistant to the party says the office was donated rent-free to Mr Farage by party supporters 15 years ago. Utilities and other non-rental costs amount to no more than £3,000 a year, according to the former office manager, leaving about £12,000 a year unexplained. |
| The £15,000 a year paid for out of EU allowances since 2009 is an entitlement to all MEPs with no requirement for them to justify their spending. But a former manager at the constituency office told The Times that the correct figure was closer to £3,000 a year, a claim reportedly disputed by Ukip. | The £15,000 a year paid for out of EU allowances since 2009 is an entitlement to all MEPs with no requirement for them to justify their spending. But a former manager at the constituency office told The Times that the correct figure was closer to £3,000 a year, a claim reportedly disputed by Ukip. |
| David Samuel-Camps, 69, who worked as political assistant to Mr Farage between 2002 and 2010, was responsible for keeping the accounts for the office since about 2005. “Every month I’d contact Nigel one way or the other and say can you send me a cheque, you know the monthly cheque for however much it was,” he told The Times. “He would send me a cheque, which I recall was a personal cheque, which I would then put into our office account in Arundel. And then I would draw on that, as and when, for paying invoices.” | David Samuel-Camps, 69, who worked as political assistant to Mr Farage between 2002 and 2010, was responsible for keeping the accounts for the office since about 2005. “Every month I’d contact Nigel one way or the other and say can you send me a cheque, you know the monthly cheque for however much it was,” he told The Times. “He would send me a cheque, which I recall was a personal cheque, which I would then put into our office account in Arundel. And then I would draw on that, as and when, for paying invoices.” |
| Mr Farage told the newspaper that he transferred £1,000 a month to run the office, without specifying what costs this covered. A Ukip spokesman did not return calls last night. | Mr Farage told the newspaper that he transferred £1,000 a month to run the office, without specifying what costs this covered. A Ukip spokesman did not return calls last night. |