The British National Party was guilty of a "clear failure" to keep accurate financial records for 2008, the Electoral Commission said today. But the commission said that although this was a breach of the law, no sanctions were available to punish the BNP.
After an investigation into the party's affairs for 2008, the commission said: "The registered treasurers for the party in 2008 breached the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 by failing to keep accounting records sufficient to explain, with reasonable accuracy, the financial position of the party at the time."
However, there was no sanction or penalty available to punish the treasurers. Penalties were brought into force this month, but cannot be applied retrospectively.
The commission said because of the state of the records, it could not be certain that the party's submitted reports of donations were accurate. But the investigation "found no specific evidence to lead to the conclusion that they were not accurate".
Chief executive of the Electoral Commission Peter Wardle said: "Political parties are required by law to keep accurate financial records, and this clear failure to do so is a serious matter. It undermines the party's ability to demonstrate, and the commission's ability to verify, that the party is complying with the law. It is frustrating that, although we established that the party breached party funding law by not keeping adequate financial records, there are no sanctions available to us in relation to this breach.
"This has now changed for breaches of the law that occur after December 1 2010, when we have access to a new set of powers and sanctions. We have written to the party setting out our concerns. We will be meeting with senior party officials as soon as possible to ensure that their procedures for complying with the law are adequate, and monitoring the party to ensure they implement any necessary changes without delay."
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"The registered treasurers for the party in 2008 breached the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 by failing to keep accounting records sufficient to explain, with reasonable accuracy, the financial position of the party at the time."
ReplyDelete"However, there was no sanction or penalty available to punish the treasurers. Penalties were brought into force this month, but cannot be applied retrospectively."
So what precisely is the point of the Act? And the Electoral Commission?
"The commission said because of the state of the records, it could not be certain that the party's submitted reports of donations were accurate."
ReplyDeleteAnd exactly how many of us are surprised by that, given Nick Griffins sticky fingers.
"What an incompetent, disorganised shambles, masquerading as a political party!"
ReplyDeleteAdrian Davies at the British Democracy Forum.
How right he is.
So at the moment, the EC is toothless but when it deals with this set of accounts, it can bite back. If the BNP is still around at this time next year, they're going to be shitting bricks.
ReplyDeleteThere's a report from the BBC here
ReplyDeletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-11992967?
Part of the report says;
"It was concerned the party, which received £662,000 in donations during 2008, could be receiving money from impermissible donors.
The BNP could not provide any information on 45 donors, who gave the party a total of £21,250, saying the details had been "irretrievably lost" when it transferred its manual records to a new computer system."
"The BNP could not provide any information on 45 donors, who gave the party a total of £21,250"
ReplyDeleteThat's close to £500 each. Who the hell would hand over £500 to a bunch of thieves and drug dealers?
"The BNP could not provide any information on 45 donors, who gave the party a total of £21,250"
ReplyDeleteThat's close to £500 each. Who the hell would hand over £500 to a bunch of thieves and drug dealers?
Oh its a lot worse than that.
"The Commission also found 1,479 entries on a spreadsheet listing donor names and addresses but with no donation value."
FFS
"That's close to £500 each. Who the hell would hand over £500 to a bunch of thieves and drug dealers?"
ReplyDeleteOther thieves and drug dealers. Or the backbone of the party's support, as they're known on a Welsh sheep farm (and palatial Croatian villa)
Pete B said...
ReplyDelete"The BNP could not provide any information on 45 donors, who gave the party a total of £21,250"
That's close to £500 each. Who the hell would hand over £500 to a bunch of thieves and drug dealers?
Err.... thieves and drug dealers maybe?
Anon:
The BNP could not provide any information on 45 donors, who gave the party a total of £21,250, saying the details had been "irretrievably lost" when it transferred its manual records to a new computer system."
So they transferred paper records to the computer and the paper records were 'irretrievably lost'..... I have visions of the Nazis in WW2 burning all traces of the horrors they comitted before the Allies arrived!
So at the moment, the EC is toothless but when it deals with this set of accounts, it can bite back. If the BNP is still around at this time next year, they're going to be shitting bricks.
ReplyDeleteNah....Clive Jefferson is on the case....they'll be fine!
That's close to £500 each. Who the hell would hand over £500 to a bunch of thieves and drug dealers?
ReplyDeleteIf you read the Daily Mail online comments sections a lot of the really extreme anti-immigration stuff comes from British ex-pats (seriously!).
It's the "Dave (expat), Thailand" and "Jim (expat) in Hong Kong" types who give (or used to give) loads of cash to the BNP. A major funding source.
I assume they can't find them guilty for the same offence for 2009 for the simple reason that they haven't actually submitted any accounts yet...
ReplyDeleteGri££in gets off scot-free once again.
ReplyDeleteAll this report really says is that the BNP have managed to hide the identity of those that donated to the party. I presume they dont want to reveal supporters names who may not wish to be identified. As for the accounts the EC say 'the Commission found no specific evidence to lead to the conclusion that they were not accurate.”
ReplyDeleteSo there you have it, the BNP have escaped scot free, they must be having a laugh tonight
Maybe holding ofshore funds in offshore Cyclops accounts means the British Nazi Party are money laundering??????
ReplyDelete