Muammar Al Khadafi

from BNP Ideas

Leaked bank statements from the British National Party’s elite fundraising dining society, the Trafalgar Club, have raised a number of serious questions over party finances which require urgent answers.
The Trafalgar Club (TC) is advertised as an exclusive dining club for supporters of the British National Party and members pay £249 per year to be members, according to the party website. It is claimed that the funds so raised are used in support of the party.

While there is no allegation, or proof, that the funds raised are not being used in support of the party, the leaked TC bank statements raise a number of serious questions which need to be answered as urgently as possible so that the TC and the broader membership’s concerns can be put to rest.

The first issue which is apparent from the bank statements is that the account into which the TC funds are paid, is held in Nick Griffin’s personal name. There might very well be good reasons for this, but it is, to the outside observer, puzzling.

This fact aside, it is the nature of the transactions being undertaken on the account, which are of the greatest concern.

The first statement, for August 2009, shows that Mr Griffin encashed two cash cheques over the counter at his local bank, one on 31 July for £250, and another on 27 August for £750.

This is a total of £1,000 in cash, drawn out without any record of where the money went, or what it was used for.

There is, as stated above, no evidence to show that the money was not used for party purposes, but it is still very irregular to handle large amounts of donated cash in this manner.

The second statement, for July 2009, is even more disturbing. It shows that three cash cheques, for a total of £1,800 were drawn by Mr Griffin out of the TC account over the counter.

The statement contains handwritten entries, apparently made by former treasurer David Hannam, to the following effect:

“N Griffin (Pers?)” next to the first cash cheque withdrawal of £500 made on 1 July.

“HSBC Cr Card” next to the second cash cheque withdrawal for £300 made on 2 July.

“Cash Transfer to NJG A/C” next to the third cash cheque withdrawal for £1,000 made on 23 July.

These handwritten entries are a source of great concern, as they seem to indicate cash being paid over to Mr Griffin’s personal account.

We are sure that there has been no underhand dealings with donors’ monies, but given the fact that the party’s accounts due to the Electoral Commission are late once again (and the party now faces a massive fine in this regard), members will be excused for being highly concerned at these new revelations.

The party leadership urgently needs to address these, and the mounting number of court cases which are rapidly coming to the fore.

In particular, we have been informed that Mr Griffin’s appeal against the “Decemberists” court case (Kenny Smith et.al. vs Messrs Griffin and Darby) was finally rejected by the courts last week, and that the “blackmail” case against Belfast printer David Sloan has been temporarily withdrawn.

These two cases alone can amount to financial liabilities for the party or Mr Griffin of in excess of £150,000. This is in addition to the Royal Mail court case, the Micheala Mackenzie tribunal, the Mark Collett case against Adam Walker, the Newton Press legal claim, and two new employment tribunals set down for the end of September by former employees in Belfast.

It would seem that the “financial reports” and “myth buster” leaflets distributed during the recent leadership election campaign appear to have been devoid of truth. Given these developments, party members have a right to be informed of what exactly is going on in the party’s treasury department, and in the handling of the Trafalgar Club accounts in particular.