The ruling Awami League came first in earning and spending as a party in 2012 while the Jamaat-e-Islami ranked second as most political parties submitted
audit reports on their annual financial transactions to the Election Commission.
The Jatiya Party, a partner of the ruling alliance, ranked third while the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, ranked fourth.
According to the financial reports, the expenditures of BNP, Jamaat and Jatiya Party exceeded their earnings in 2012.
Commission officials said that 28 of the 39 registered political parties submitted to the commission the audited reports on their annual financial transactions by Wednesday, the last date for doing so.
Seven political parties — the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JASAD), the Workers Party of Bangladesh, the Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal, the Bikalpadhara Bangladesh, the Jatiya Party (JP), the Bangladesh Muslim League and the Islamic Front Bangladesh — sought time, a few until August 31 and a few until September 30, to submit their financial reports.
The Awami League, the BNP, the Jatiya Party and several other political parties submitted the reports on Wednesday.
Only the BNP and the Jatiya Party voluntarily disclosed the amount of their annual earnings and expenditures, while the Awami League declined to do so only saying that the party’s expenditures and income increased.
A deputy secretary of the commission said that the Awami League showed about Tk 10.1 crore as its income in 2012 and Tk 9.2 crore as its expenditures.
He said that the party showed that it spent about Tk 4.75 crore to purchase a piece of land located next to the party’s central office at Bangabandhu Avenue.
The deputy secretary said that Jamaat’s earning was Tk 6,04,21,620 while the party spent Tk 7,43,00,595.
BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, who submitted the party’s audit report, said that the party’s expenditures stood at Tk 2,26,93,143 while it earned Tk 1,79,12231 from different sources.
Jatiya presidium member Tajul Islam, who submitted the party’s audit report, said that the party’s earned Tk 4.81 crore while it spent about tk 4.9 crore.
Most of the parties showed membership fees, donations and selling of coupons, booklets and different periodicals as their source of income.
Commission officials concerned said that the Awami League, the, BNP and the Jamaat had showed the income of about Tk 5 crore each in 2011.
According to the Political Parties Registration Rules 2008, a party has to get audited its financial transactions in the previous calendar year by a chartered accounting firm and submit a copy of the report to the commission by July 31 every year.
Prior to the elections to the ninth parliament, registration of political parties with the commission was made mandatory and the rule for submission of reports was framed to ensure transparency in their financial transactions.
-With New Age input
