ナイジェリア犯罪局を提訴、ファラージ氏らが金融情報の漏洩巡り損害賠償請求

High Court Legal Action Over Leaked Banking Data

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and deputy leader Richard Tice have taken legal action against the National Crime Agency (NCA), lodging papers at the High Court to seek damages of more than £25,000. The Boston and Skegness MP and Reform deputy leader told Talk TV that they believed the NCA had committed multiple criminal offences and said they would be seeking an apology and damages. The action relates to articles in the media regarding bank transactions flagged to the NCA under its suspicious activity reporting programme. Mr Farage and Mr Tice have claimed that only the NCA could have been in possession of all of the leaked information.

訴状によると、国家犯罪対策庁（NCA）の1人または複数の職員が、原告の資金移動に関して1件または複数の不審取引報告書が提出されたという事実を1人または複数のジャーナリストに漏洩したとされている。In separate writs, they are demanding the NCA admit responsibility, pay damages, and share the names of people the information was disclosed to. Tice accused the agency of leaking 個人用の銀行取引明細書、銀行振込の記録、ならびに異なる銀行の銀行マネージャーらとの会話の詳細. Last month, Tice wrote to the agency to ask if they would investigate whether they were responsible for the leaking of private financial information to the media.

NCAによる調査と政治資金をめぐる疑惑の構図

一連の漏洩疑惑をめぐり、NCA側も対応に追われている。同機関は、TiceとFarageの両議員から苦情が寄せられたことを受けて、専門基準部門（Professional Standards Unit）による内部調査を進めている。NCAの広報担当者は、リチャード・タイス下院議員およびナイジェル・ファラージから寄せられた苦情を受け、NCAの専門基準部門が調査を実施していること、その作業は現在も進行中であること、そして現時点ではこれ以上のコメントをするのは適切ではないと述べた。

しかし、訴えを起こした側は機関側の姿勢に強い不満を示している。Ticeは、NCA側の内部調査が停滞しているとの認識を示し、機関側が時間を稼いでいるだけであり、自分たちはその対応にはもう十分だと述べたと語り、これ以上の引き延ばしには応じない姿勢を強調した。A Reform UK spokesperson confirmed that claims had been filed at the High Court, though BBC News noted that the details of the claims had not been seen.

仮想通貨投資家からの巨額支援と政治的波紋

The reports that sparked the legal dispute involved payments made to Tice’s company Britain Means Business by the mother of convicted fraudster George Cottrell. These payments were flagged to the NCA as part of its suspicious activity reports (SARs) programme, which alerts law enforcement to potential instances of money laundering. SARs are not crime reports. Tice stated that he only became aware of the filing when contacted by the Guardian newspaper, which broke the story. As first reported by the Telegraph, Tice’s company Tisun Investment received a loan of £80,000 from Cottrell in late 2024. That same year, Britain Means Business received a £1m donation from Cottrell’s mother. Electoral Commission data shows that Britain Means Business donated £500,000 to Reform UK in the same month.

Cottrell’s relationship with Reform has faced intense scrutiny after the Sunday Times reported he had supplied Farage with support, including security and social media staff, in the year before he became an MP. Under parliamentary rules, newly elected MPs must declare gifts or benefits received in the 12 months before their election that relate to their parliamentary or political activities. However, an exemption exists for gifts and benefits that are purely personal. Reform argued that Farage did not breach guidelines by failing to declare Cottrell’s support because it was provided in a purely personal capacity.

Additional reports highlighted a £5 million transfer from crypto investor Christopher Harborne shortly before Farage was elected to Parliament in 2024. Farage has faced months of investigation regarding failures to declare large donations, including funds received from Harborne. A related parliamentary inquiry was temporarily suspended because of a by-election prompted by Farage’s decision to resign as MP for Clacton amid revelations about his and Tice’s finances. Concurrently, Restore Britain faced criticism from anti-Semitism groups for pushing political rhetoric after co-founder Charlie Downes suggested Farage had been “bought” by Jewish supporters, a claim met with defense from Restore leader Rupert Lowe.