48 candidates fail to submit financial statements by deadline

48 candidates who contested the parliamentary elections in April failed to submit their financial statements by the deadline, according to the Elections Commission (EC).

Hundreds of candidates contested the elections held on April 21 to elect the new parliamentary assembly.

The deadline for submission of financial statements expired last Wednesday.

EC’s member Hassan Zakariyya told Sun on Saturday morning that 320 candidates submitted their statements by the deadline, while 48 candidates did not.

Zakariyya said that some of the 48 candidates filed their statements after the deadline.

He said that as per the General Elections Act, the commission cannot accept statements that are filed after the deadline.

He said the commission would decide whether to reject the statements what were filed by candidates after the deadline or not, or if the commission will pursue action against them.

Zakariyya had previously told Sun that the commission would seek action against candidates who fail to submit the financial statement by the deadline through the Prosecutor General, as mandated by the law.

He said that the law prescribes either a prison sentence or a fine.

Former EC vice chairman Ismail Habeeb, in a post on X last week, said all candidates who contested the parliamentary election, whether they were elected or not, are mandated to submit their financial statement.

He added that the financial statement must include all bills concerning every transaction listed in the bank statement.

A total of 368 candidates contested the April elections, in which the main ruling PNC secured a sweeping victory, taking 67 out of 93 seats.

This does not take into account the eight independents who joined the party after the elections, which boosts the number of PNC lawmakers to 75, giving the party a clear supermajority in the next parliamentary assembly.

 The incoming parliamentary assembly will be sworn in on Tuesday.