The Electoral Commission has referred National MP David MacLeod to the police for failing to report $178,394 in donations.
Initially, MacLeod’s candidate return for the 2023 General Election listed $29,268 in donations from seven donors. However, an amended return submitted in May 2024 revealed a total of $207,662 from 24 donors.
MacLeod attributed the discrepancy to an “inadvertent error,” explaining that he mistakenly believed the return was only for the 2023 year, thus omitting 18 donations received earlier. He also failed to disclose a $10,000 donation from 2023, acknowledging it as an inexplicable mistake.
The backbench MP was immediately stood down from his committee roles after revealing the error last month. He said that he always intended to make the donations public and had informed donors that contributions over $1500 would be disclosed.
The Electoral Commission confirmed today that the matter has been handed over to the police to investigate any potential breaches of the Electoral Act. The police will now determine if any laws were broken and consider possible prosecution, while the Commission has decided not to comment further on the issue.
