Over 1,000 election candidates face probe for financial report violations

The Acting Inspector General of Police (IGP), Priyantha Weerasooriya, has initiated investigations into 1,042 candidates and 197 party secretaries and independent group leaders.

They are accused of failing to submit their income and expenditure reports for the 2024 General Election, violating the Regulation of Election Expenditure Act No. 03 of 2023.

Under this Act, all candidates, political parties, and independent groups must submit their financial reports to District Returning Officers within 21 days of the election results being announced.

Despite a grace period provided for compliance, many candidates have still not submitted their reports.

On January 7, 2025, the Election Commission instructed District Election Offices to finalize the files of these non-compliant individuals and forward them to the police for legal action.

Following this directive, Acting IGP Weerasooriya ordered police divisions in the relevant electoral districts to begin investigations.

The investigations are being conducted under the supervision of the DIG of the Legal Division, with support from Divisional Crime Investigation Bureaus.

Senior DIGs, DIGs, and Divisional Officers have been tasked with preparing detailed reports on the investigations and submitting them to the Attorney General for legal advice by January 31, 2025.