Reports on Financial Transactions: BNP, 16 other parties get additional time

The Election Commission may give BNP and 16 other political parties additional time to submit reports on their financial transactions in deviation from the law on party registration once again.

According to Political Parties Registration Rules, 2008, a party must get audited its financial transactions in a calendar year by a chartered accountant firm, and submit a copy of the audit report to the commission by July 31 of the following year.

All 38 political parties registered with the EC were supposed to submit financial reports of calendar year 2010 last Sunday in line with the rules.

But the main opposition BNP and 16 other parties failed to meet the deadline.

BNP and 10 other parties have sought time extension from the EC for submitting financial reports.

"We will sincerely consider their applications," Election Commissioner Sakhawat Hossain told reporters at his office yesterday.

He said the commission will decide on the matter at its next meeting.

Sakhawat said the EC might issue notice to six other parties, which did not apply for time extension, to explain why they failed to submit reports.

Asking anonymity, a senior EC official said the commission faced a similar challenge of enforcing the law on submission of financial reports last year.

At that time, ruling Awami League and 16 other parties did not submit financial reports within the deadline and applied for time extension.

In breach of the law on party registration, the EC last year gave the AL and other parties two more months to submit reports.

The EC official said the commission is likely to give BNP and other parties extra time to submit financial reports like it did last year.

Registration of political parties with the EC was made mandatory before the ninth parliamentary election in 2008.

According to the rules, political parties must submit financial reports to the EC to ensure transparency in their finances.

DIALOGUE WITH BNP
Sakhawat said he phoned BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir last week and urged the main opposition to join the talks on electoral reforms.

"I invited them [BNP] again to join the talks on electoral reforms. I'm yet to get any feedback," he told reporters.

The EC earlier invited BNP thrice to join the ongoing talks on electoral reforms. But the party refused to sit with the EC, saying the commission is "biased" towards the ruling party.

Source : The Daily Star