Parliament's General Purpose Committee has passed an amendment to Parliament Regulations wherein members must submit their first financial statements within three months of taking oath of office.
Parliament's General Purpose Committee has passed an amendment to Parliament Regulations wherein members must submit their first financial statements within three months of taking oath of office.
As per Article 68(b) of the current Parliament Regulations, parliament members have to submit their initial financial statements within one year of taking oath of office.
In today's meeting of the General Purpose Committee, it was unanimously passed that members must submit their financial statements within 90 days of being sworn in.
This was proposed by Parliament's Counsel General, and many members backed this, stating that this course of action promotes integrity.
However, Thulhaadhoo constituency MP Abdul Hannan Abu Bakr spoke against this, saying that as MPs are already required to submit a statement on election spending to Elections Commission (EC), it is best to set a one year duration for the submission of the financial statement to parliament.
Abu Bakr did not receive any support for this, with many members saying that members' finances are not included in the report being sent to EC as that would cover funds received and expenses during elections.
"It will promote trust and confidence if the financial statements are submitted within three months of coming to parliament," Kanditheemu MP Ameen Faisal said.
Other changes brought to the Regulations include announcing names of those who haven't submitted financial statements at the first sitting held after the deadline, and to disallow those MPs from participating in sittings, committee meetings and official trips. The regulations earlier allowed MPs to go on official trips.
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