Complaint period closing this week regarding municipal election finances and donations

The meeting of the Compliance Audit Committee on June 26, 2023. (Daryl Newcombe/CTV News London)

The Compliance Audit Committee for London’s 2022 municipal election held its inaugural meeting to discuss two apparent contraventions of election finance rules thus far.

But the meeting was unexpectedly cut short.

According to Section 8.9 of the committee’s rules, “Attendance of all Committee members constitutes quorum at meetings of the Committee.”

One member of the three-person committee had to leave prior to deliberating reports from the clerk that Ali Soufan and Nella Soufan each exceeded the total personal contribution limit to candidates’ campaigns.

Election rules limit individual donations to $1,200 per campaign, and an individual’s total contributions to all candidates can not exceed $5,000.

A staff report explains that Ali Soufan appears to have exceeded the $5,000 limit on campaigns.

Total $6,200

A second report states that Nella Soufan also appears to have exceeded the $5,000 limit.

Total $5,600

Neither Ali Soufan nor Nella Soufan attended the meeting of the Compliance Audit Committee, and neither submitted a written explanation about the apparent over-contribution.

The committee acts in a gate-keeping role and could either dismiss the complaints or commence a legal proceeding by referring one or both complaints to the courts.

“The Compliance Audit Committee reviews all reports from the clerk as well as any other complaint from the public,” explained Deputy Clerk Sarah Corman.

After losing quorum, the committee adjourned its deliberations until a future meeting can be scheduled in July.

So far, the clerk has received no complaints about candidates’ campaign finances from the 2022 municipal election.

The deadline to file a complaint to the Compliance Audit Committee is Thursday, June 29 at 4:30 p.m. online or at city hall.