<p><img src="" alt="Featured Image"></p><p><!-- wp:html --><p>The Election Commission of Sri Lanka (EC) has no authority to open asset-liabilities declarations of candidates once they are submitted. However, in future elections, these declarations will be transferred to the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) for scrutiny if suspicions arise, noted Commissioner General of Elections, Saman Sri Ratnayake.</p>
<p>He clarified that the EC is only empowered to seek verification of asset declarations through legal recourse. Ratnayake stated, "We cannot open or verify the asset declarations ourselves. If we need to challenge them, we must go to Court. We can only go to Court if we have suspicions. The Court has the authority to open and verify the contents." </p>
<p>He further explained that under the new Act of the Bribery Commission, they can refer asset declarations for investigation. Ratnayake affirmed, "In the upcoming polls, we plan to do just that; handing over the declarations to the CIABOC for scrutiny."</p>
<p>Ratnayake also addressed the concerns raised following the Supreme Court verdict that declared former State Minister Diana Gamage has no grounds to hold an MP post, as she failed to prove that she is a Sri Lankan citizen. </p>
<p>He said the EC has no way of verifying the citizenship status of poll candidates, indicating that this issue will continue to persist and the only viable solution to address this challenge is for the General Secretaries of political parties to conduct investigations prior to endorsing their candidates at the EC.</p>
<p>"The only alternative would be that the political parties, particularly their General Secretaries, should scrutinise their candidates before nomination. Unfortunately, this complication is likely to persist in the future," Ratnayake noted. </p>
<p>He said during the short window for accepting or rejecting nominations, which can be as brief as a few hours, it's practically impossible to conduct thorough citizenship checks. "We can only reject nominations if certain documents are not submitted. If all required documents are provided, we cannot reject the nomination. Verification of dual citizenship within such a limited timeframe is extremely challenging."</p>
<p>He pointed out that most candidates possess local passports, making it difficult to verify dual citizenship. Some candidates possess multiple passports and NICs. Whether they've renounced dual citizenship or not is difficult to ascertain.</p>
<p><strong>By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan</strong></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://ceylontoday.lk/2024/05/18/ec-has-no-authority/">To open candidate asset declarations EC has no authority</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ceylontoday.lk/">Ceylon Today</a>.</p><!-- /wp:html --></p><p>[Category: <a href="https://feed.lankaimage.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category tag">Uncategorized</a>]</p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> </p>
<p>He clarified that the EC is only empowered to seek verification of asset declarations through legal recourse. Ratnayake stated, "We cannot open or verify the asset declarations ourselves. If we need to challenge them, we must go to Court. We can only go to Court if we have suspicions. The Court has the authority to open and verify the contents." </p>
<p>He further explained that under the new Act of the Bribery Commission, they can refer asset declarations for investigation. Ratnayake affirmed, "In the upcoming polls, we plan to do just that; handing over the declarations to the CIABOC for scrutiny."</p>
<p>Ratnayake also addressed the concerns raised following the Supreme Court verdict that declared former State Minister Diana Gamage has no grounds to hold an MP post, as she failed to prove that she is a Sri Lankan citizen. </p>
<p>He said the EC has no way of verifying the citizenship status of poll candidates, indicating that this issue will continue to persist and the only viable solution to address this challenge is for the General Secretaries of political parties to conduct investigations prior to endorsing their candidates at the EC.</p>
<p>"The only alternative would be that the political parties, particularly their General Secretaries, should scrutinise their candidates before nomination. Unfortunately, this complication is likely to persist in the future," Ratnayake noted. </p>
<p>He said during the short window for accepting or rejecting nominations, which can be as brief as a few hours, it's practically impossible to conduct thorough citizenship checks. "We can only reject nominations if certain documents are not submitted. If all required documents are provided, we cannot reject the nomination. Verification of dual citizenship within such a limited timeframe is extremely challenging."</p>
<p>He pointed out that most candidates possess local passports, making it difficult to verify dual citizenship. Some candidates possess multiple passports and NICs. Whether they've renounced dual citizenship or not is difficult to ascertain.</p>
<p><strong>By Sulochana Ramiah Mohan</strong></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://ceylontoday.lk/2024/05/18/ec-has-no-authority/">To open candidate asset declarations EC has no authority</a> appeared first on <a href="https://ceylontoday.lk/">Ceylon Today</a>.</p><!-- /wp:html --></p><p>[Category: <a href="https://feed.lankaimage.com/category/uncategorized/" rel="category tag">Uncategorized</a>]</p><p><strong>Tags:</strong> </p>