GEORGE Cottrell, the convicted criminal who secretly funded Nigel Farage, opened an account with an obscure overseas payments company days before it was used to channel a £500,000 “unexplained” donation to Reform UK.
The Sunday Times reports that Cottrell, known as “Posh George”, became a client of Oneify in late May 2024.
The Australian firm moves crypto and traditional currency across borders.
Within a fortnight of Cottrell becoming a client of the firm, it was used as a conduit for donations whose ultimate source could not be traced by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
Initially, £1 million was deposited into Britain Means Business, a UK company owned by Richard Tice. The MP was leading the party at the time.
Tice has claimed that Fiona Cottrell, George’s mother, made the donation, but it is not known whether the money originated from the convicted criminal’s newly opened Oneify account.
The Guardian previously reported that his mother received several six-figure amounts of cash from an unknown source shortly before making the £1m payment via the platform.
Tice then transferred half of that cash – the £500,000 – to Reform.
Britain Means Business was listed as the donor on Electoral Commission filings, rather than Fiona Cottrell.
The transactions, and other payments which are currently under investigation by the Metropolitan Police, mean Fiona Cottrell had a role in 35% of all funds received by Reform UK during the 2024 General Election campaign.
George Cottrell, 32, is a tax resident in Montenegro, has said he was eligible to donate as an “overseas voter” by the time of the election, but the Sunday Times reports it is unclear if he held this status when the payments were made.
A substantial fine or even a jail term can be handed down for concealing a political donation.
Cottrell, a crypto-gambler, was convicted of wire fraud in the US in 2017, after he offered to launder money on the dark web.
Fiona Cottrell, 67, had no history of political activity or donations before the 2024 election.
She has been at the centre of a Scotland Yard inquiry into a separate £500,000 donation to Reform in her own name during the election campaign since June last year.
It is unclear if the £500,000 deposited through Oneify is part of the police inquiry.
Cottrell has continued to use the platform to make and receive payments, the newspaper reports.
Asked if Cottrell transferred money to his mother before she made donations to reform, his lawyers at Carter Ruck said: “Our client has confirmed his instructions that any donations by his mother have been entirely her own decision.”
“He therefore declines to engage with your [wider] questions,” they added.
Cottrell maintained this position following the latest revelations, with lawyers stating he would not be drawn on “private information” regarding banking transactions.
He became a Oneify customer on May 28, 2024, less than a week after Rishi Sunak called the General Election, via his company based in Montenegro.
It emerged earlier this year that Cottrell had been funding Farage’s security and staff in the months before the election was held, despite the Reform leader’s public position stating that he would not stand to become an MP.
One June 3, Farage announced he would return to politics as the party’s leader and stand as its candidate in Clacton.
He is now fighting a by-election in the seat that he triggered by quitting as a Member of Parliament.
However, the other main UK parties refused to contest the seat. There are now 34 candidates standing in the by-election, but Farage’s main opponent appears to be joke candidate Count Binface.
