Nigel Farage: EU responsible for my bank account problems

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Arch-Brexiteer Nigel Farage has blamed the UK's 'madly adopted' EU rules for being denied accounts at several banks.

The former Brexit Party and Ukip leader sparked a major row last month after he claimed his account with Coutts had been closed because he was a 'politically exposed person' (PEP ).

This followed suggestions in the Commons that Mr Farage, who has appeared on Russia Today in the past, had received more than half a million pounds from the Kremlin-backed broadcaster .

Coutts, a private bank serving high net worth individuals, reportedly closed Mr Farage's account due to a lack of funds.

Writing in The Sunday Telegraph, Mr Farage, who said several other banks had refused him accounts, claimed he had fallen victim to anti-money laundering regulations.

"Anti-money laundering rules appear to have been vastly over-interpreted by UK banking compliance departments," he wrote in the pro-Brexit newspaper.

< p>"No one can deny that money laundering is a problem, he said. "Yet a series of agreements, EU directives and UK rules established to deal with this threat have almost entirely failed.

< p>Farage has appeared on Russia Today in the past

(Getty Images)

"Banks now live in fear of huge fines. Their default setting seems to be to close the business and personal accounts of anyone who is deemed to need further due diligence - whether it's the owner of a window cleaning business or a pawnbroker. "

He added: "Those who are paid in cash are no longer welcome; the compliance costs of managing these accounts make them unprofitable. »

Mr. Farage initially claimed his account with Coutts, who acts on behalf of the Royal Family, was shut down as part of a revenge mission orchestrated by "the establishment". for Brexit, sparking a row over free speech.

Andrew Griffith, the City Minister, has written to the UK's financial watchdog urging him to prioritize an "important" examination to find out if people are...