Main ruling party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has drafted a proposition to regard failure of parliamentarians to submit their financial statements as a criminal offense.
The proposition is included in the bills drafted by the party to be submitted at the 19th parliament, in order to ensure the integrity of lawmakers.
Currently, parliament members and senior government officials are obligated to submit their financial records. However, only a few members submit their financial details and there are no penalties for failure of submission. The new proposed addition to the parliament regulations would penalize those who fail to submit their documents.
The new regulation proposed by MDP would obligate the submission of financial statements of MPs , their spouses and all children under the age of 18. The statements should include details of available funds, bank accounts, land and property and relevant agreements, family business, shares, bonds, stocks, special permit, jewellery and motor vehicles.
While all MP financial statements must be audited, they must also be published on the parliament website.
MPs will also be required to submit details of all trips taken abroad, and shall be made available upon request to the public from the parliament office.
A special section will be allocated for each parliament member on the parliament website, listing all work done by the member in the parliament, including proposed bills and amendments, and committee work and attendance.
The proposed bills are now open for public comment.
