Nationalist backbencher Franco Debono yesterday presented a private member’s motion on party financing to Parliament.

The MP yesterday gave the Clerk of the House notice of a private member’s motion on party financing that was accompanied by a Bill, which Dr Debono said was based on German and UK legislation.

This law, he added, was fundamental for democracy especially to expose underground networks or cliques.

Dr Debono said he had supervised the drafting of the Bill by the government’s Drafting Unit, adding it had been approved by the Prime Minister in recent weeks. The Bill not only satisfied but went beyond Council of Europe requirements, he said.

The MP had been asked by the Prime Minister to work on a party financing Bill.

The issue was embroiled in controversy when a draft Bill advanced by the government – which was a heavily amended version of the one worked on by Dr Debono – was criticised by the Council of Europe’s anti-corruption watchdog, Greco.

The government had subsequently asked Dr Debono to redraft the Bill. Speaking yesterday, the MP said the Bill provided a structure but still needed fine-tuning which should follow public feedback and debate in the House.

Dr Debono’s Bill stipulates that political parties must register all donations exceeding €300 made from any one source in a calendar year.

When aggregate donations add up to more than €7,000, the names of the donors must be made public by being given to the Electoral Commissioner. Donations of more than €50,000 in one year would not be permissible.