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Alberta Party Leader Stephen Mandel says he only recently learned that his paperwork hadn’t been filed on time with Elections Alberta after missing a September deadline that resulted in a five-year ban from running. He plans to take the issue to court.

“My CFO was sick,” Mandel said at a Saturday news conference, adding he learned of the problem on Jan. 30. “He missed some of the dates. That’s part of the reason we’re here today.”

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In a July letter sent to Mandel, Elections Alberta spelled out a Sept. 12 deadline for him to file his campaign expenses for his nomination contest in Edmonton-McClung. The paperwork was filed on Sept. 27.

Chief financial officer Brian Heidecker, who has since retired, was tasked with tracking the expenses, which were limited to $10,000 under election rules.

“It was a zero return. There was no money being raised or spent,” Mandel said.

Five other Alberta Party candidates face bans

Five other Alberta Party candidates were also listed as ineligible to run by Elections Alberta. Candidates Ali Haymour, Diana Ly, Amrit Matharu, Moe Rahall and Rachel Timmermans also each face a five-year ban.