ECP asks parliamentarians to submit assets statements

ECP asks parliamentarians to submit assets statements

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday asked the members provincial assemblies and the parliament to submit their yearly statements of assets and liabilities of financial year 2018-19 by December 31st, 2019.

According to ECP notification, the yearly statements of assets and liabilities to be submitted including their spouse and dependent children as on the preceding thirtieth day of June on Form-B being a mandatory requirement under Section 137 of the Elections Act, 2017.

It said section 137 says every member of an Assembly and Senate shall submit to the Commission, on or before December 31st each year, a copy of his statement of assets and liabilities including assets and liabilities of his spouse and dependent children.

It added the Commission, on the first day of January each year through a press release, shall publish the names of members who failed to submit the requisite statement of assets and liabilities within the period specified under sub-section (1).

The rule further says the Commission shall, on the sixteenth day of January, by an order suspend the membership of a member of an Assembly and Senate who fails to submit the statement of assets and liabilities by the fifteenth day of January and such member shall cease to function till he files the statement of assets and liabilities.

It says where a member submits the statement of assets and liabilities under this section which is found to be false in material particulars, he may, within one hundred and twenty days from the date submission of the statement, be proceeded against for committing the offence of corrupt practice.

The notification said that the prescribed form along with instructions and guidelines prepared in this regard can be obtained free of cost from the Election Commission Secretariat, Islamabad, offices of Provincial Election Commissioners in each Province, Senate Secretariat,National Assembly Secretariat and Secretariats of Provincial Assemblies.

APP