FROM PAGE 12

candidate must file a return of election expenses with the returning officer within 30 days of the gazette notification. Returns must include daily payment receipts, details of the designated bank account, certified bank statements, records of personal spending, lists of disputed or unpaid claims, and a breakdown of funds with sources specified. Even candidates who incurred no expenses must submit a “zero” return along with an affidavit.

The RPO also caps election expenses at Tk 10 per vote or a maximum of Tk 25 lakh. Failure to submit returns can result in imprisonment of two to seven years, alongside disqualification for violating electoral rules.

On April 6, the EC held a meeting to make a decision. After the meeting, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said they extended the deadline for another month.

“Several candidates applied for extensions due to illness and other reasons. We have granted them time.”

On possible action for those failing to submit the statements, the EC secretary said, “We should go by the book. We must act according to the law. The commission will sit and decide under which legal framework action will be taken.

Asked what the commission would do if a candidate fails to submit their statements on time, Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud earlier told this newspaper, “The commission can file a case against the candidates, but the law does not empower us to directly impose punishment.”

He added that a provision could be included in the law for cancelling candidacy, adding, “I personally discourage filing cases. The law was designed to keep them [candidates] in order, and we will enforce it. But enforcing it through the court is very difficult.”