Arabic version: فاراج وتايس يرفعان دعاوى ضد الوكالة الوطنية لمكافحة الجريمة

According to BBC News, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage and deputy leader Richard Tice are suing the National Crime Agency over alleged leaks of confidential financial information. A Reform UK spokesperson said claims had been filed at the High Court, although BBC News said it had not seen the detail of the claims.

Tice, the Boston and Skegness MP, told Talk TV that he and Farage believed the NCA had committed “multiple criminal offences”. He said they would seek an apology and damages, accusing the agency of leaking individual bank statements, bank transfers and details of conversations with bank managers from different banks.

Last month, Tice wrote to the NCA asking whether it would investigate whether it was responsible for private financial information reaching the media. The issue followed reports that payments to his company, Britain Means Business, by the mother of convicted fraudster George Cottrell had been flagged to the agency through its suspicious activity reports programme. SARs alert law enforcement to potential money laundering, but are not crime reports.

The NCA has been conducting an internal investigation. Its spokesperson said the agency’s Professional Standards Unit was investigating complaints brought by Tice and Farage, and that the work was ongoing. The spokesperson said it would not be appropriate to comment further.

BBC News reported that Tice’s company Tisun Investment received an £80,000 loan from Cottrell in late 2024. Britain Means Business received a £1m donation from Cottrell’s mother that year, and Electoral Commission data shows it donated £500,000 to Reform UK in the same month. Cottrell’s relationship with Reform has also faced scrutiny over support he provided to Farage before he became an MP. Reform has said Farage did not need to declare that support because it was provided in a “purely personal capacity”.