MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Backers of Brexit funding campaign investigated for “suspected criminal offences”

UK's Electoral Commission said it had reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr Banks, was not the true source of the cash over £8 million

Brexit backer Arron Banks is being investigated by the UK’s serious crime agency for “suspected criminal offences” over £8 million of campaign funding during the Brexit referendum.

The National Crime Agency probe was launched after the UK Electoral Commission said it had reasonable grounds to suspect that Mr Banks was not the true source of the cash.

Mr Banks, one of the founders of the Leave.EU campaign, said he was confident the investigation would “put an end to the ludicrous allegations” against him.

The Electoral Commission also referred Leave.EU, its chief executive, Elizabeth Bilney, and the organization that ran it, Better for the Country, to the NCA after carrying out a review.

Bob Posner, the Commission’s director of political finance, said: “We have reasonable grounds to suspect money given to Better for the Country came from impermissible sources and that Mr Banks and Ms Bilney, the responsible person for Leave.EU, knowingly concealed the true circumstances under which this money was provided.”

“This is significant because at least £2.9 million of this money was used to fund referendum spending and donations during the regulated period of the EU referendum.”