ISLAMABAD: Some 717 out of 1,182 sitting lawmakers including parliamentarians and members of provincial legislatures had submitted their wealth statements to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for fiscal year 2019-20 till Thursday evening and the deadline to submit these statements expired on December 31.

Currently, there are a total of 1,195 legislative seats including those of Parliament and four provincial assemblies out of which 13 seats are currently vacant. Out of remaining 1,158 lawmakers, 717 had submitted their wealth statement till Thursday evening, it is learnt.

It is expected that more lawmakers would submit their financial statements in the coming days, even after the expiry of the deadline, Business Recorder has learnt.

Constitutionally, the lawmakers are bound to submit their yearly statements of assets and liabilities and those of their spouses and dependent children as on each year’s June 30, a mandatory requirement under Section 137 (1) of the Elections Act, 2017.

This section reads, “Submission of statement of assets and liabilities - Every member of an Assembly and Senate shall submit to the Commission, on or before 31st December each year, a copy of his/her statement of assets and liabilities including assets and liabilities of his spouse and dependent children as on the preceding thirtieth day of June on Form B.

Those lawmakers who fail to submit their wealth statements by the given deadline are given 15 days to submit wealth statements failing which their legislative memberships are suspended.

Sections 137 (2) and (3) of Elections Act, 2017 read “The Commission, on the first day of January each year through a press release, shall publish the names of members who failed to submit the requisite statement of assets and liabilities within the period specified under sub-section (1).

(3) The Commission shall, on the sixteenth day of January, by an order suspend the membership of a member of the Assembly and Senate who fails to submit the statement of assets and liabilities by the 15th day of January and such member shall cease to function till he submits the statement of assets and liabilities.”

If a lawmaker submits false wealth details to the ECP, he/she can be proceeded against as per law. Section 137 (4) of the same Act reads, “Where a member submits the statement of assets and liabilities under this section which is found to be false in material particulars, he may, within one hundred and twenty days from the date submission of the statement, be proceeded against for committing the offence of corrupt practice.”

Each year, the ECP makes public the wealth details of the legislators, their spouses and dependent children of the previous fiscal year.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021