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And.... read the full story. It's worth it - a mad, eye-opening, eye-watering ride. Thanks for following this far. END: bylinetimes.com/2026/07/23/p...

‘Posh George’, Two Passports, and a Fraudulent Identity: Convicted Fraudster and Nigel Farage Funder's Connections to Reform UK’s Murky Financial StructuresWhy did Reform UK change from being a privately-owned company to a non-profit company limited by guarantee in 2025? Nafeez Ahmed investigates a fraudulent identity used by George Cottrell – and how hi...bylinetimes.com

We can't do these sorts of investigations without your support. You make this possible - possible to think outside the box, break through boundaries, ignore convention, and push into places that others often do not even think of going. Join our mission: subscribe.bylinetimes.com /17

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This was a difficult, painstaking investigation. I'm fortunate for the support of an outstanding, diligent team. Reporting support from @adambienkov.bsky.social and @josiahmortimer.bsky.social, editorial guidance from @peterjukes.bsky.social and @hardeepmatharu.bsky.social. /16

This is exactly right. There are now multiple urgent lines of criminal inquiry that must not fall through the cracks. A fraudulent Swiss passport. A party official complicit in concealing identity fraud. A political party intertwined with a foreign corporate structure linked to crypto-gambling /15

Labour MP @philbrickellmp.bsky.social, Chair of the All Parties Parliamentary Group on Anti-Corruption: “What on earth is Nigel Farage doing associating with George Cottrell, who, in his own words, is ‘like a son’ to him? Law enforcement must now be allowed to establish who knew what, and when” /14

In February 2025, same month the Electoral Commission referred Fiona Cottrell's donations to the police, Reform UK restructured - shifting into a private company owned by a company limited by guarantee, both directed by Farage. Its members unlisted. Nobody knows who now controls the party /13

In 2023, as Reform treasurer, A’zami’s set-up a Montenegro company, run by the same Tivat accountants who also ran: - Hon Kong Yong's casino group - Reform’s largest donor, Christopher Harborne - 2 other former Reform officials Reform UK was plugged into Cottrell's opaque Montenegro op /12

The other man who knew of Cottrell's criminal identity fraud was his accountant associate Hon Kong Yong who got him his first job. He went bankrupt in 2015 while Cottrell started-up at UKIP. By 2018, Yong was discharged. By 2020, he was eye-wateringly wealthy, and living 5 minutes from Cottrell /11

Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, accepting such donations without reporting them amounts, potentially, to complicity in money laundering. /10

A'zami knew of Cottrell's criminal identity fraud. However, he concealed it. Did Reform UK know and conceal it too? As the treasurer responsible for vetting donations, he would have been fully aware that money from Cottrell or his mother was at risk of being criminally obtained /9

As treasurer for 6 years, A’zami was legally responsible for: - Recording every donation over £500 - Checking its source within 30 days - Returning anything impermissible - Filing Reform’s statutory donation reports /8

By 2019, when A’zami became Reform’s treasurer - while Cottrell was a party fundraiser and fixer - he already knew who ‘Oscar’ really was. And that he had committed identity fraud to work with A'zami. He took up the Reform role anyway. /7

Yong was there when his false Swiss alias and passport was exposed. He confirmed he had long known of the dual identities, and Cottrell's real name. /6

But guess who recommend Cottrell for the job in the first place. A British Malaysian accountant named Hon Kong Yong.... the man now owns a casino, bar, security company and much else in Montenegro. Including Cottrell's luxury penthouse flat on the harbour. /5

Posing as ‘Oscar’, Cottrell persuaded A’zami to personally hand over £60,000, borrowed from friends and family, for an investment that never materialised. A’zami never got it back /4

It was as ‘Oscar Drewitt’ that Cottrell landed his first City job. He was hired by Mehrtash A’zami - who would go on to run Reform UK’s finances /3

In 2014, staff at Cottrell’s City firm found the office door damaged and his bag left behind. Inside: two passports. One in his real name. One Swiss passport for a man who didn’t exist - ‘Oscar Drewitt’. Both were verified genuine by UK and Swiss authorities /2

This story took us nearly 8 months. We found that the man who hired him under a false identity in 2013 became Reform UK’s treasurer in 2019, vetting its donations for 6 years - including from Cottrell himself and his mother /1

Thank you, glad you liked the edition!

END/ I'd like to thank the whole @bylinetimes.bsky.social team for making this investigation possible, and our brave sources who spoke to us in an atmosphere of fear and intimidation. We can't do this work without your support for our mission. Help us keep going: subscribe.bylinetimes.com

Come Join Our Quest for Truth – Byline Timessubscription-funded investigations Byline Times’ exposé of the PPE scandal → Within weeks of the Coronavirus lockdown in 2020, we were reporting on what ended up being billions of non-compete contract...subscribe.bylinetimes.com