Section 12 Defence to charge of failing to return donation from impermissible donorI1

In section 56 of the 2000 Act (acceptance or return of donations: general), after subsection (3) there is inserted—

“(3A)

Where a party or its treasurer is charged with an offence under subsection (3), it shall be a defence to prove that—

(a)

all reasonable steps were taken by or on behalf of the party to verify (or ascertain) whether the donor was a permissible donor, and

(b)

as a result, the treasurer believed the donor to be a permissible donor.”