The Election Commission (EC) has said that 48 candidates that contested the recent parliamentary election failed to submit their financial statements by the deadline.
A total of 368 candidates contested the elections held on April 21 for 93 seats in the Parliament. Candidates are required by law to submit financial statements within a certain period. The deadline for submitting financial statements expired at 12:00 pm on Wednesday.
Speaking to AVAS, EC member Hassan Zakariyya said while 320 candidates submitted their financial statements within the time limit stipulated by the law, 48 candidates either failed to submit their financial statements or submitted them after the statutory deadline.
"There will be differences between those who did not file financial statements at all and those who filed financial statements after the deadline when the commission decides on the consequences. We will have to decide on those who filed financial statements after the deadline at a commission meeting," he said.
Failure to file a financial statement or submitting false information can lead to prosecution and punishment under the current law. The penalty for this offense is one year in jail or a fine of MVR 72,000.
The EC had previously fined five candidates that contested last year's presidential election for failing to submit financial statements. Each candidate was fined MVR 20,000 and the candidates' official agents were fined MVR 6,000.
