Polls Commissioner urges public to report election expense violations by candidates
By Rathindra Kuruwita
Members of the public could lodge complaints with the police and initiate legal proceedings against candidates whose campaign expense reports contained inaccuracies, Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake, said during a meeting in Kandy on Monday.
Ratnayake said that if any presidential candidate was found to have exceeded the legally permitted spending limits, they could lose their civic rights for three years.
Candidates must take election expenditure regulations, stipulated in Gazette No. 03 of 2023, very seriously, he emphasised, noting that the candidates were required to submit asset and liability statements within 31 days of the conclusion of the election, and their failure to do so would amount to a punishable offence.
That law had been in place since 1947, Ratnayake said, noting that candidates had lost their positions and civic rights over such violations in the past.
