Parliament retains 1-year for financial statement submission
Associations and the public have called for the rules to be amended, expressing concern that it is difficult to verify members' wealth and how it was acquired
Top Stories
-
President attends opening segment of UN Summit of Future
-
Muizzu congratulates Sri Lanka's president-elect Dissanayake
-
Ellaidhoo chef’s murder: Interpol help sought to find witnesses
-
Ministry asks police to stop unregistered cupping therapy clinic
-
Police seek charges against 3 for 2kg drug trafficking
After parliamentary general committee passed a rule requiring members of parliament to submit financial statements within three months of taking oath, the parliament later passed a rule requiring them to submit financial statements within one year.
According to the previous rules of the 18th parliament, newly elected members of the parliament are required to submit financial statements 1.5 years after taking office.
-
Members, including their spouses and children, shall submit their financial statements to the secretary-general of parliament after one year from the date of taking oath of office; submissions must be made by August 31 each year
-
Therefore, when a person becomes a member, parliament does not know what they own
-
Associations and the public have called for the rules to be amended, expressing concern that it is difficult to verify members' wealth and how it was acquired
-
In addition to that, deputy speaker, Dhiggaru MP Ahmed Nazim said that the issue will be resolved when the general committee amends the rules of procedure
Counsel General Fathimath Filza recommended amendments to the provision on financial statements while the general committee that drafted the rules of the current 20th parliament, which has been in force for two months since late May, is working on them. They are:
-
A newly elected member shall submit a financial statement of his assets (including spouse and children) to the secretary-general within 90 days or three months from the date of their oath
-
To require financial statements to be filed once every year thereafter
The committee meeting held on July 18 passed the amendment in accordance with Filza's recommendation.
Although the committee passed the amendment, the amendment does not exist in the rules of the 20th parliament, which are currently available on the website.
The rule required the financial statements to be filed after one year, as in the previous 19th parliament rule.
When asked about the matter, the vice-chairman of the general committee, Holhudhoo MP Abdul Sattar Mohamed, said the committee had later decided to submit the financial statements after one year as per the rules of the 19th parliament. He said the rule was sent to the parliament for approval.
When asked why the committee did so, he said it could be changed and it was the mandate of the committee.
"I don't remember everything. It was changed after taking into consideration a lot of options. The main thing was [because] this is how it came in the 18th and 19th parliaments. That's the spirit of the members," he said.
