Most of the political parties, including the ruling Awami League and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, are yet to submit audit reports on their financial transactions for the last calendar year to the Election Commission though the deadline for doing so expires on Sunday.(The Newage BD)

Only seven out 38 registered political parties so far submitted their audit reports. The Election Commission on July 26 wrote to the secretaries of the registered political parties reminding them of the deadline and asking them to submit the reports.

The seven parties which have submitted audit reports are Jatiya Party led by HM Ershad, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Khelafat Majlish, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, Islami Andolan Bangladesh, Bangladesh National Awami Party and Zaker Party. The Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, in a letter to the commission on July 21 sought two months to submit its audit report.

According to Section 9 (b) of the political party registration rules, every registered political party should get its financial transactions in the immediate past calendar year audited by a registered chartered accounting firm, and submit the report to the Election Commission by July 31.

This time, the political parties will get an extra day (Sunday) to turn in reports since July 31 is a public holiday.

Registration of a political party may be cancelled in line with the Representation of the People Order for failing to provide the EC with reports for consecutive years.

Election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain on Thursday said that the parties failing to submit reports would be asked to show cause.

The political parties registered with the EC in October 2008 before the ninth parliamentary election. According to the

Political Parties Registration Rules 2008, they were supposed to audit three months’ financial transactions in 2008 and submit reports to the EC by July 31, 2009.

The commission, however, exempted all political parties from submitting audit reports on financial transactions for that period of time.

When asked about the party’s preparation for submission of its audit report, Awami League’s joint general secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said that he was unaware of it and suggested that the party leader concerned should be approached to know about the preparations. AL treasurer HN Ashiqur Rahman, however, could not be contacted. A senior AL leader said it could take the party some time to submit the audit report.

Abdus Salam, finance affairs secretary of the BNP, told New Age that the party was preparing the reports for submission. ‘The audit report is expected to be submitted to the Election Commission by the deadline,’ he said.

Sharif Nurul Ambia, general secretary of a faction of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, said that they would submit the financial audit report to the commission on Sunday.

Quamrul Ahsan, politburo member of the Worker Party of Bangladesh, said that the party would write to the EC on Sunday requesting a one-month extension of the time to submit the report.

Khalequzzaman, general secretary of Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal, said that his party also needed time to complete the audit of the financial transactions of the party.

All the political parties representing the parliament submitted returns of their election expenditures to the Election Commission on the last day for submission of the reports after the commission issued repeated reminders.