17 Nov 2008

Politicians could miss out on office for failing to provide campaign spending reports

11:35 am on 17 November 2008

Seventeen winners in the American Samoa House race for the November 4 general election could end up not being sworn into office in January if they do not file required campaign and financial reports with the Campaign Spending Commission.

The Campaign Spending Commission issued a notice saying that one gubernatorial team and 44 candidates in the local House race have not submitted any of the required forms.

Commission chairman Alex Zodical says these candidates must file an organizational report and a preliminary financial report for their candidacy immediately.

Failure to file the required reports may result in the candidate being charged with a class B misdemeanor under local laws, which is punishable by imprisonment of up to six months, and/or a fine of not more than $500.

The commission's public notice lists all candidates that didn't file any reports and among them are 17 winners in the local House race, including incumbents.