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Veterans of AL, BNP kept in the dark

Rakib Hasnet Suman and Hasan JahidTusher
Most of the senior leaders of Awami League and BNP are in the dark about the election expenses returns their parties have lately submitted to the Election Commission (EC).
They do not know who prepared the expenditure reports and if they were even approved at all.
They also have no clue how much money was distributed among the candidates for the December 29 general election.
Some of them however said party committees or councils can approve the reports later.
Several senior BNP leaders said the report was yet to be placed before the standing committee for discussions or approval.
They said they do not know anything about the amount withdrawn from the party account for election purposes.
According to the BNP constitution, the treasurer's signature is compulsory for operating the party's bank account. But it is not clear who ran the BNP's account for the December 29 election as Treasurer Shah Alam has been politically inactive for years due to illness, said insiders.
RA Gani, a senior member of the standing committee, yesterday said he knows nothing about the polls expenditure report since it was not discussed at any meeting of the standing committee, the highest policy-making body in BNP.
Another member of the standing committee, Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, said the report did not come up for discussion in any of the meetings he attended.
"But for the sake of transparency such reports should be discussed by die standing committee," he observed.
Citing clause 12 (h) of their constitution, a BNP leader said if prepared by any sub- committee or special committee, the report on polls expenditure has to be submitted to the standing committee.
BNP Joint Secretary General Goyeshwar Chandra Roy said the mandatory submission of polls expenditure to the EC is a new idea and die party constitution has yet to have any specific provisions to that effect.
“If necessary, the party can approve the spending report at a later date," he said.
BNP Joint Secretary General Abdul Mannan who turned in the expenses returns to the EC said the party spent Tk 4.49 crore on electoral activities.
Of the amount, Tk 1.20 crore was spent on grants to candidates, Tk 1.84 crore on campaigns, Ik 63.02 lakh on transport, Tk 13.10 lakh on public meetings and 18.87 lakh on remuneration of the staff, Tk 47.24 lakh on accom modation and Tk 2.72 lakh to cover the cost of miscella-
neous expenses.
Mannan told The Daily Star that Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain prepared the report in consul-tation with Chairperson Khaleda Zia and the standing committee.
Meanwhile, AL sources said with few exceptions, the central leaders do not know anything about the party's election expenditure as the matter was not discussed and approved by any forum in AL
AL Information and Research Affairs Secretary Null-UI-Alam Lenin said, "The issue was not discussed at any working committee meeting as members of the election conduct committee left it at the discretion of our Presiden t Sheikh Hasina and HT Imam.
Asked about the expenditure, many Al. leaders including its Treasurer HN Ashiqur Rahman said HT Imam, co-chairman of the election conduct committee, knows everything about it.
Lenin however said the spending report will be approved at the party's next council.
SK Habibullah, member of the AL committee on election finances, submitted the returns to the EC.
Contacted, he however declined to give any exact figures of election expenditure.
"I have been asked by the high command not to disclose the figures," Habibullah told The Daily Star.
Pressed further about their election outgoings, he said, "We did not reach the Tk 4 crore mark. Even it's less than Tk3.5crore."
Sources said Al. opened an account with Trust Bank for election purpose. HT Imam operated that account as the treasurer was busy with his election campaign.
The expenditure however has been shown from other sources, they added