The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) says it has received reports of voter buying and other forms of electoral bribery, ahead of Saturday’s parliamentary vote.

ACC said in a statement on Thursday that they take such matters ‘seriously’, and has advised candidates to refrain from doing so.

The local general elections law regulates relations between candidate and constituents, and receiving or giving money or goods as ‘gifts’ is considered bribery.

In Thursday’s statement, ACC also advised the public to discourage any acts of corruption, and to reach out to the commission if they witness or experience such acts.

The ACC had in March launched an awareness campaign to combat vote buying and forms of electoral corruption; this was reiterated in Thursday’s statement, and the ACC highlighted that seminars have been held in a number of islands.

The ACC says they are working with the Maldives Police Service to investigate the matter.