Shadow Finance Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin has called for political parties to spurn all foreign donations to avoid accusations of corruption.

She spoke out after former Premier Alex Scott warned his party's trawl for overseas benefactors to support a fundraiser, with elite packages priced at $25,000, put the Government at risk of sweetheart deals.

Ms Gordon-Pamplin agreed such donations could come with a rider.

"We should be very careful, we don't want to be seen as a sleazy kind of jurisdiction.

"When inviting people to give large sums of money there is a quid pro quo. There is no such thing as free lunch.

"There is a saying — he who pays the piper calls the tune.

"My gut feeling is if we are talking about elections in Bermuda I think there should be zero contributions from overseas for local elections."

However she said contributions from international business based here were acceptable.

Asked if that was because they were already donating to the UBP she said: "I have no clue. I have no involvement in our fund raising.

"It would be inappropriate for the UBP to get finance from people based outside. It isn't an us and them situation as far as I am concerned. What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."

Last night Dr. Brown refused to discuss Mr. Scott's comments when called by The Royal Gazette or the wider issue of party funding.

The Premier's four-day Gala Weekend is being pitched both overseas and locally with benefits including a seat at the 'Leader's Roundtable Breakfast' hosted by the Premier and photo opportunities with Dr. Brown.

Earlier Mr. Scott had warned people could try to buy government and he said gaming interests had lobbied when he was Premier but had been rebuffed.

But Mrs. Gordon-Pamplin said Mr. Scott was now talking tough after taking a soft line when pay-to-play allegations arose under his administration.

"He had the opportunity to do something about it but he elected not to."

The row centred over a fundraising lunch in Washington D.C. in 2002 where guests paid $2,500 towards Dr. Brown's personal General Election fund.

It is alleged that guests were all current and potential money managers and stockbrokers of the Bermuda Government pension funds.

The affair led to a Government-sanctioned review of the administration of public pension funds which the Opposition branded a "complete whitewash" while a code of conduct was put in for pension fund administration.

Last night Opposition MP Grant Gibbons renewed his call for explicit anti-corruption legislation which would allow a commission to investigate if a politician or civil servant was suspected of enriching themselves by dishonestly taking advantage of their position.

And he said Mr. Scott was right to raise alarm bells about lobbying from gaming interests.

"The gambling industry is notorious for pay-offs and organised crime involvement. Alarms bells should be raised in situations like that."