candidates failing to submit expenditure reports: EC to get tough

• Deadline ended midnight yesterday 

By Sheain Fernandopulle   

The Election Commission has warned of stringent action against candidates who contested the recently concluded Presidential election, for failing to submit their election expenditure reports.   

The deadline for Presidential election candidates to submit their expenditure reports ended midnight yesterday (13). As of 12 noon yesterday, only 18 out of the 38 candidates had submitted their election expenditure reports.   

 Speaking to Daily Mirror, Election Commission Chairman R.M.A.L. Ratnayake said the list of candidates who failed to submit the expenditure reports would be handed over to the police for further action according to the Election Expenses Regulation Act.   

Candidates who fail to meet this deadline may face penalties under the Presidential Election Act of 1981, with fines reaching up to Rs.100,000.   

According to the Election Expenses Regulation Act, reports must be submitted within 21 days of the election’s conclusion.   

The candidates who have submitted the reports include Pemasiri Manage, Mahinda Dewage, K.A. Kularatne, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, Siritunga Jayasuriya, Priyantha Wickramasinghe, Sarath Fonseka, Pani Wijesiriwardena, Abubakar Mohamed Infas, Antony Victor Perera, Sarath Bandaranayake, Janaka Ratnayake, and K.K. Piyadasa.