AL’s savings rise by 35pc in a year

The ruling Awami League could spend a little over a third of the Tk 21.2 crore it earned last year, resulting in a 35 percent increase in the party's savings, the AL has said.

In 2019, the party spent around Tk 8.21 crore, according to the party's audited financial statement for the year.

A delegation of the party, led by its Publicity Affair Secretary Abdus Sobhan Golap, submitted the statement to the Election Commission yesterday.

According to the financial statement, both income and expenditure of the party decreased compared to the corresponding numbers of 2018.

In 2018, the AL's income was around Tk 24.23 crore and expenditure was around Tk 18.87 crore. It had Tk 37.56 crore in its coffer.

At the end of 2019, the party had Tk 50.37 crore.

Of the amount, Tk 40 crore is saved in banks as Fixed Deposit Receipt (FDR).

According to the audit report, the ruling party's highest income source was selling party nomination forms, which fetched Tk 12.32 crore in 2019.

It also collected money from its tri-annual council, subscription fees from the members of its central committee, advisory council, national executive council, and lawmakers, and received bank interests and money from well-wishers and sales of books and old documents.

Its biggest expenditure was holding the council, which had a bill of around Tk 3.43 crore.

Besides other sectors of expenditure were the maintenance of its Dhanmondi office and its central office on Bangabandhu Avenue, salaries of employees at party offices, organising party programmes, printing banners and festoons, advertisements, and conducting relief activities.

All registered parties have to submit their annual audit reports certified by a registered chartered accountancy firm within July 31 of the following year, according to the Political Parties Registration Rule, 2008.

According to EC sources, only seven political parties, including Awami League and Jatiya Party, submitted their audit reports to the EC.

They also added that the EC was going to extend the deadline for submitting the report by a month.