Monrovia – A FrontPageAfrica investigation has established presidential candidates in the upcoming elections are reneging to disclose their assets as required by the Constitution.
Report by Henry Karmo – [email protected]
Article 83 d of the Constitution states, “Every political party shall, on September 1 of each year, and every candidate of such political party and every independent candidate shall, not later than thirty days prior to the holding of an election in which he is a candidate, publish and submit to the Elections Commission detailed statements of assets and liabilities.
These shall include the enumeration of sources of funds and other assets, plus lists of expenditures.
Where the filing of such statements is made in an election year, every political party and independent candidate shall be required to file with the Elections Commissions additional detailed supplementary statements of all funds received and expenditures made by them from the date of filing of the original statements to the date of the elections.
Any political party or independent candidate who ceases to function shall publish and submit a final financial statement to the Elections Commission.”
The National Elections Commission (NEC) informed FrontPageAfrica upon inquiry that so far, only one political party has submitted assets and liabilities.
The NEC, however, refused to disclose the name the party.
In an interview with FPA Mr. Henry Flomo head of communication of the National Elections Commission said, the NEC is confident that political parties and individuals would comply.
“We believe that they will comply with this constitutional provision and that was one of the issues we stressed in one of our meetings with political parties and institution,” he said.
Coalition for Democratic Change Finance Officer, John Youboty told FrontPageAfrica that the CDC had been engaged with the NEC for the past 12 years and does not need to be reminded by the NEC to fulfil its obligations.
He, however, did not say when the CDC’s standard bearer will declare his assets to the NEC.
The Alternative National Congress (ANC) of Alexander Cummings said, the party is in conformity with the constitutional provision.
But Mr. Darius Dillon of the Liberty Party (LP) told FrontPageAfrica that LP has not declared its assets but promised that the processes is being concluded and the that party would be making its declaration by the end of the week.
All efforts to contact the Unity Party, (UP) of Vice President Joseph Boakai, Movement for Reconstruction and Development (MDR),of Senator Prince Johnson, and the All Liberian Party (ALP) of business man Benoni Urey did not materialize as there was no response to many phone calls and text messages.
Two months ago President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, for only the second time in her presidency declared her assets and urged members of her cabinet to do same.