Elections Commission (EC) on Thursday announced that a case was forwarded to the Prosecutor General's Office to file charges against 39 candidates who did not submit financial statements detailing their campaign expenses for the parliamentary elections held on April 6.
While a total of 386 parliamentary candidates contested in the elections, the deadline to submit financial statements expired on April 28 at 0000 hours.
The 39 candidates in question also failed to secure parliamentary seats in the elections.
- 31 Independent candidates
- Two from opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)
- One from opposition People's National Congress (PNC)
- One from ruling coalition partner Adhaalath Party
- Two from Maldives Third-Way Democrats (MTD)
- Two from Maldives Labour And Social Democratic Party (MLSD)
The 2018 Elections General Act states that failure to comply with the guidelines constitutes an election offence and carries a penalty of MVR 6,000 - 24,000, or a prison sentence ranging between six months to two years.
As per the law, the financial statements must be written by an auditor registered at a relevant state authority.