Franco Debono presents private member’s motion on party financing

Nationalist MP Franco Debono has presented a private member's motion on party financing, MaltaToday can reveal.

Speaking to MaltaToday, Franco Debono said: "I supervised the drafting of a private member's motion on political parties and party financing. It satisfies all GRECO requirements and goes much beyond," Debono said referring ot the Council of Europe's group of states against corrupion (GRECO) which supervises member states' party financing rules.

Debono said it will obviously need to be refined following consultation with the public and debate in parliament.

"This had been okayed by the Prime Minister months ago," Debono said.

Giving his reasons over the presentation, Debono said government never implemented the Galdes report finalised over 16 years ago. "Despite the years which passed, nothing has been done. Things have taken too long. The PM had made a commitment the law would be in place by the first six months of 2011. This never materialised," Debono said.

"This left me no option but to present the bill. I consider this law to be fundamental for any democracy."

Debono added, "This law is a safeguard against underground networks - if any - which ultimately undermine and corrode the fundamentals of democracy."

The MP had distanced himself from a draft bill the government presented to Greco, raising the alarm over its high thresholds for the disclosure of party donors.

The draft law proposed by the Maltese government will not restrict donations made by political party members, and sets a very high €10,000 ceiling for the publication of the names of other donors.

The Maltese government divulged the contents of its proposed law, regulating the way political parties will declare from where they get their cash, when replying to GRECO's queries on Malta's compliance to a report issued in 2009.

GRECO objected to the distinction made in the new law between party and non-party members and described the €10,000 threshold for the publication of the names of other donors as "critically high".

By way of example, an industrialist or entrepreneur can become a registered member of the party to enjoy an exemption from party financing laws - a loophole that undermines the very essence of a party financing law.

According to GRECO, the proposed law states that contributions or sponsorships to political parties made by non-members of the party exceeding €3,000 will be publicly declared.

The law will also stipulate that the name of the contributor is to be made public if the contribution exceeds €10,000.

"It appears, however, that there are no such rules in respect of donations from party members, which is not in line with GRECO's recommendations, where such a distinction is not made," the report stated.

In a report issued in 2009, GRECO had called on Malta to introduce a general requirement for both political parties and election candidates to disclose all individual donations, including those of a non-monetary nature they receive above a certain value together with the identity of the donors.