Nov. 21 (UPI) — Former Reform UK politician Nathan Gill was sentenced to 10 years in prison for accepting bribes for making pro-Russia statements when he was a member of the European parliament.

Gill pleaded guilty to eight counts of bribery for his actions between Dec. 6, 2018, and July 18, 2019. Police said he took around $52,000 and may have gotten even more.

The money allegedly came from Oleg Voloshyn, an alleged Russian asset. Voloshyn is also under investigation, but he is believed to be in Moscow.

Gill has given no explanation but investigators said they believe money was his motivation. The statements he made in the European parliament were to support Russia’s views on Ukraine before Russia invaded the country in 2022. He also made statements on a pro-Russian Ukrainian television channel linked to an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, The Guardian reported.

“When you say what someone has paid you to say, you are not speaking with sincerity. If it was your genuine opinion, you would not need to be paid for saying it,” the BBC reported that Bethan David, head of counter terrorism at the Crown Prosecution Service, said in a statement.

“Allowing money to corrupt your moral compass constitutes a grave betrayal of the trust vested in you by the electorate. Your misconduct has ramifications beyond personal honor, which is now irretrievably damaged,” she said.

The investigation began with a tip from the FBI, who searched Voloshyn’s phone during a 2021 visit to the United States, the BBC reported. Police were about to search Gill’s house on Sept. 13, 2021, when they learned he was leaving the country. They stopped him at Manchester Airport and found messages to Voloshyn on his phone. At the same time, a search at his home found large quantities of cash.

Gill’s former party Reform UK said in a statement, “Mr. Gill’s actions were reprehensible, treasonous and unforgivable. We are glad that justice has been served and fully welcome the sentence Nathan Gill has received.” Gill was the party leader in Wales for 43 days until he quit the party in 2021.

Commander Dominic Murphy of the London Metropolitan Police told the BBC that Gill was an “extraordinarily willing participant” and “knew full well what he was doing and who he was doing it for.”

He said that Gill, “has been held absolutely to account for his activity. That should send a strong message to any elected official or anyone in an official capacity who is asked to act on behalf of another government and paid money to do so.”

Murphy said the Met was “working closely with our European partners to understand whether any other individuals have committed offenses.”

Minister of State for Security Dan Jarvis said that Gill used his “privileged position in public office” to advance Russia’s interests over the UK’s. In a statement, the BBC reported, he called it “a betrayal of our country, our people, and our national security.”