09/06/09 - Donation Statements furnished by Political Parties for 2008

Part 3 - Political Donations Account

Section 23B(1) of the Act provides that, if a political party or any of its "accounting units" receives a monetary donation in excess of €126.97, it must open and maintain an account (a political donations account) in a financial institution in the State. (An accounting unit is a branch or other subsidiary organisation of the party, which, in any particular year, receives a donation, the value of which exceeds €126.97.) The headquarters of a political party is an accounting unit if it has accepted a donation exceeding €126.97.

In accordance with section 23B(3), the Donation Statement/Statutory Declaration furnished to the Standards Commission by the appropriate officer of a political party must be accompanied by a statement (bank statement) provided by the financial institution in which the account was opened. The bank statement must specify all transactions that have taken place in relation to the account during the year to which the Donation Statement/Statutory Declaration relates.

The Donation Statement/Statutory Declaration must also be accompanied by a Certificate of Monetary Donations on which the appropriate officer confirms that all monetary donations received during the year were lodged to the account and that all amounts debited from the account were used for political purposes. The Certificate is accompanied by a separate Statutory Declaration.

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