54. Must reports from political parties and/or candidates include information on itemized spending?

20. Deciaration of assets accounts and audit of political parties.

(1) Every political party shall within such time after the issue to it of a final certificate of registration under section 12 as the Commission may direct in writing submit to the Commission a written declaration giving details of all its assets and expenditure, including all contributions, donations or pledges of contributions or donations, whether in cash or in kind, made or to be made to the initial assets of the party by its founding members in respect of the first year of its existence.

(2) A declaration submitted to the Commission under subsection (1) shall state the sources of all funds and other assets of the political party and the particulars of the person or firm appointed by the political party as its auditor.

(3) An auditor for the purposes of subsection (2) shall be(a) in the case of an individual, a member of the Chartered Institute of Accountants of Sierra Leone, not being a member of the political party; or (b) in the case of a company or firm, under the supervision of a member of the Institute referred to in paragraph (a).

(4) There shall be submitted by every political party to the Commission within three months after the end of every-year a declaration of its income, assets and liabilities together with its audited accounts.

(5) The declaration made under subsection (1) and subsection (4) shall be supported by the national treasurer and the national or general secretary of the political party.

(6) The Commission shall, within thirty days after receipt of the declaration required by subsection (1) or subsection (4), publish it by Government Notice.

21. Declaration of assets etc in relation to election.

(1) Every political party shall within twenty-one days after the notification of the holding of a public election which it intends to contest, submit to the Commission a statement in such form as the Commission may prescribe, of its assets and liabilities.

(2) Every political party shall within sixty days after the declaration of the results of a public election in which it has participated submit to the Commission a detailed statement, in such form as the Commission may prescribe, of all expenditure incurred either by the party or a candidate put up or supported by that political party specifying the manner in which the expenditure was incurred.

(3) A statement required to be submitted under this section shall be supported by a statutory declaration made by the general or national secretary of the political party and the national treasurer of that party.

(4) Subsections (2) and (3) shall, with the necessary modifications, apply to any person standing as an independent candidate in a public election .

The Political Parties Act, 2002, available at http://www.parliament.gov.sl/dnn5/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=x0uhWM-1OMU%3D&tabid=79&mid=635 accessed February 2018.