The effect of political connections on business organisations has received considerable research attention worldwide, consistent with an increase in politically connected executives and directors running listed companies in both developed and emerging economies (see for example, Ding et al., 2015). Politically connected executives and directors are typically perceived to be powerful because they can exploit a variety of advantages by using their links with politicians. They can also use their political power to strengthen their positions and influence firm outcomes. Prior studies examine the effect of political connections on firm value (Fisman, 2001), access to finances (Claessens et al., 2008), tax rates (Adhikari et al., 2006), cost of debt and equity capital (Bliss and Gul, 2012; Boubakri et al., 2012), and financial reporting quality (Chaney et al., 2011).