Around 350 guests from across the globe attended a prestigious Premier?s Gala Ball to raise funds for the Progressive Labour Party on Saturday night.

International movers and shakers from the realms of finance and politics rubbed shoulders with members of the party faithful at the black-tie bash.

They had paid up to $25,000 per package for a four-day Gala Weekend featuring dinner at Dr. Brown?s residence and a golf tournament for those with the deepest pockets.

It concludes today with an event billed as a Leader?s Platinum Roundtable Breakfast. Guests at the ball at the Hamilton Princess Hotel were entertained by Grammy Award winning singing duo Ashford and Simpson as well as local artists.

PLP chairman David Burt declared the event to have been ?incredibly successful? and revealed participants had travelled from as far afield as America, Canada, Europe and the Caribbean.

One of those who attended, lawyer Llewellyn Peniston, told his party of six included US Congress member Dr. Diane Watson and Sharon Pratt, former Mayor of Washington DC.

Security was tight, with Police Toyota Landcruisers stationed at entrances to the hotel and numerous security staff surrounding the venue. Under present Bermuda law neither the Government nor Opposition is obliged to publish lists of donors, and the PLP refused to disclose details of who attended the ball and other Gala Weekend events.

A representative from this newspaper interviewing ball guests was instructed to leave the hotel premises by security staff at the behest of the event organisers.

Former Premier Alex Scott warned in November that Government could expose itself to accusations of corruption by soliciting large donations for the PLP from foreign benefactors.

He said: ?You have to be careful. I am not passing judgment on the Premier?s intentions but every day as Premier I would find folks who wanted to bring money to Bermuda, invest in Bermuda and participate in our very, very successful economy.

?It?s not difficult to attract money. But it is what that money wants to be done on its behalf you have to be wary of. You have to be wary of folks who can literally buy into Government by donating to it.?

Dr. Brown subsequently stated that the PLP would continue to accept large donations from foreigners, even if it led to allegations of corruption.

?Leaders have to have the ability to just say ?no? to people who are not considered to be upstanding, but you don?t turn down financial assistance because people might accuse you of things and accuse you of wrongdoing,? he said.

He added: ?I take the view that in this modern world there are people who would love to assist us on our mission.

?They come from all parts of the world and we will accept their contributions as long as we believe they are being made in earnest and there is no promise made because of a donation.?

Electoral commissions in the UK and US make donor lists available to the public, and also have rules preventing non-citizens and foreign corporations from making political contributions of any kind.

But quizzed last month on whether the regulations in Bermuda should be tightened, neither Mr. Burt nor United Bermuda Party leader Wayne Furbert backed the idea, saying that the Island is so small it is necessary to keep funding sources confidential.

Speaking on Saturday night, PLP member Mr. Peniston ? once an UBP Senator ? said he did not see anything untoward in the way the PLP was going about raising funds compared to historical practices of the UBP.

?They were able to pick up the telephone and call upon all their business cronies and all the oligarchy to provide any kind of financial support they could give,? he said.

?This is an unusual and a bold approach by the PLP but one that?s sufficiently transparent that it should not attract any more criticism than attended the UBP in its heyday.?