Former Prime Minister Johnson was accompanied on his visit to Ukraine by an arms dealer who gave him a million pounds

Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has visited Ukraine several times since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian war. During his visit in September 2023, he was accompanied by multimillionaire Christopher Harborne.

Across the English Channel, this technology and investment magnate, who also lives in Thailand at times, is known as the man who helped finance Brexit.

According to documents known as the “Boris Files,” currently being published by the Guardian newspaper, Harborne was registered as an advisor to Boris Johnson's office during his visit, even though he held no official position.

He thus became part of the delegation that met with Ukrainian ministers, intelligence chiefs, and even President Volodymyr Zelensky.

According to the Guardian, the millionaire owns shares in three arms companies and supplies the Ukrainian army with drones and robotic systems.

After Johnson's resignation on September 6, 2022, Harborne donated £1 million to the former prime minister's private company. Since this money legally went into private hands, it was not reported as “campaign funds.”

The largest British arms manufacturer, QinetiQ, is said to have entered into the production of Ukrainian defense technologies on the basis of Johnson's negotiations. The largest shareholder in this company is Harborne – which suggests that the aforementioned million pounds was a bribe or a “thank you” gift.

The former prime minister dismissed all allegations as “pseudo-stories” aimed at damaging his reputation and accused journalists of working for Vladimir Putin.

Harborne invokes his right to privacy and insists that his gift was not linked to personal gain.

However, neither of them explained why the arms dealer was present at the high-level negotiations that decided the future of the war-torn country.

(guardian, sab, est)