Tag Archives: BVDs

Local, Politics

EC’s statement on obsolete BVDs discovery “lies, half-truths, pure fantasies” – IMANI

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IMANI Africa, a Ghanaian policy think tank, has strongly disputed the Electoral Commission’s (EC) recent statement regarding the discovery of 10 obsolete biometric verification devices (BVDs) at a recycling company in Madina.

The EC had explained that these devices were legally auctioned and had been acquired before the 2012 elections.

However, IMANI Africa has called the EC’s statement “lies, half-truths, and pure fantasies.”

In a statement released on April 27, 2024, IMANI Africa questioned the EC’s claims, particularly the number of BVDs auctioned off and the disposal of the remaining devices.

The think tank highlighted the EC’s previous assurance of having a “2 BVDs per polling station” policy, which would have resulted in over 70,000 devices in stock.

They also pointed out the EC’s assertion that they did not use any of the pre-existing devices in the 2020 mass voter registration exercise, despite video evidence suggesting otherwise.

IMANI Africa expressed concerns over the EC’s leadership and the transparency of their actions, stating that there seems to be a pattern of misconduct and misinformation.

The think tank urged the media to investigate further and seek answers to the questions raised, as the credibility of the electoral process in Ghana is at stake.

“The EC’s press statement was full of lies, half-truths, and pure fantasies. The EC says that only 10 biometric verification devices (BVDs) were “auctioned”. And that they “found their way” into a recycling plant. The obvious questions that the media ought to ask are a) Before the EC jettisoned the existing system, it had told Parliament that it had implemented a “2 BVDs per polling station” policy and therefore had more than 70,000 BVDs in stock.”

“Then in 2020, it proceeded to buy a brand-new set of biometric voter registration (BVR) kits with corresponding BVD kits and swore (despite video evidence collected by Bright Simons) that they never used any of the pre-existing devices in the 2020 mass voter registration exercise. Why then did they auction only 10 out of the over 70,000 devices? Why “10”, and not 5, 100, or 1000?”

“How have the remaining tens of thousands of devices been disposed of? Ghanaians who have been paying attention to the EC’s strange conduct under the current leadership know that the EC admitted to have lost some BVRs recently, but when pushed it insisted that they were only five in number. There is a clear pattern here. What exactly is going on?”

Local, Politics

10 BVDs discovered at recycling company were obsolete and legally auctioned – EC

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The Electoral Commission (EC) has clarified that 10 Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) found at a recycling company in Madina were obsolete devices that had been legally auctioned.

In a statement, the Electoral Commission disclosed that the obsolete BVDs were acquired before the 2012 elections and were used by the current Commission for the 2019 District Level Elections (DLE).

According to the EC, the previous administration had planned to refurbish these obsolete devices for the 2018 Referendum and the 2019 DLE, despite being advised by the Managers of the Commission’s Biometric Infrastructure that the equipment had reached their End of Life and were obsolete.

The EC added that the current Commission canceled this refurbishment plan and opted for the procurement of new equipment.

To ensure the prudent use of resources and the integrity of electoral processes, the Commission explained that it decided to replace the obsolete 2012 equipment with new equipment and infrastructure.

The Commission, in their statement, rejected allegations of sneaking out devices for recycling at a loss to the State, emphasizing that the auction was conducted transparently, and proceeds were duly deposited in the Consolidated Fund.

 

Attached is the full Statement by EC

CLARIFICATION ON THE DISPOSAL OF OBSOLETE BIOMETRIC DEVICES (BVDS).

Local

Four persons arrested for allegedly stealing EC laptops remanded

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Four persons arrested for the theft of Biometric Voter Registration kits of the Electoral Commission have been charged with four counts of stealing and dishonestly receiving.

They have been remanded into Police custody.

Three of the accused persons are officials of the Electoral Commission while one is a student. The three electoral commission staff members are Philip Lartey a labourer, Benyamin Fianyi a security officer and Joseph Blankson Adumadzie a database administrator all with the electoral commission.

The three staff of the commission have been charged with counts of stealing and conspiracy to steal while the student Clifford Yeboah has been charged with a count of dishonestly receiving.

The four have pleaded not guilty to the counts. According to the facts of the case, five Dell laptops, part of the Biometric Voter Registration kits which comprise a laptop, printer, scanner, battery and biometric device were reported stolen.

Upon further investigation, however, three HP laptops were retrieved from the fourth accused who is the student. One HP printer and three biometric verification device printer chargers were retrieved from the security officer.

Per Police investigation, the incident occurred when officials of the commission on March 9, 2024, entrusted some casual workers and security officers of the election’s management body to move some of their materials from their old head office at Ridge to one of its warehouses at Spintex.

The plot is said to have been initiated by the second and third accused persons to steal some of the HP printers.

The third accused person is said to have stolen one HP printer from one of the kit boxes and handed it over to A2.

A2 then stole three Biometric Verification Device Printer Chargers while A1 stole three HP laptop computers from the kit boxes to A4 to keep one and repair the remaining two.

Local

Five EC officials interdicted over missing BVDs

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Five officials of the Electoral Commission (EC) have been interdicted over the alleged theft of some Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs).

The suspects have been handed over to the police for further investigations.

Dr Serebour Quaicoe, the Director of Electoral Services at the EC, revealed this information while updating on the case of the missing devices.

He stressed that transferring the suspects to the police is a vital step in enabling comprehensive investigations into the incident.

Dr Quaicoe reaffirmed the Commission’s dedication to ensuring justice is upheld and that those guilty of stealing state assets face suitable penalties.

“What I can say on authority is that we lost one BVD in North Tongu and what happened was that we normally package these things in ballot boxes. You put your systems and you seal. In the course of transporting, we got there, they couldn’t transport the ballot boxes.”

“So we reported to the police. We have lost this and these are the suspects so investigate and let them go through the legal regime.

“Whatever has to be done should be done. They have been interdicted they are now going through the investigations. So, the police I am told that they will be arraigned before court soon,” he explained.

Local, Politics

Electoral Commission Clarifies BVD Security Amid Memo Speculations

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The Electoral Commission has dispel misconceptions regarding the security of Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs) following the circulation of a memo titled “RETURN OF BIOMETRIC VERFICATION DEVICES,”

“The Commission assured the public of the BVDs’ security features and urged accurate information dissemination to maintain trust in the electoral process.”

The memo, signed by the Deputy Chairman of Operations, sparked speculation about alleged BVD thefts. However, the Electoral Commission has clarified that there have been no thefts of BVDs from its stores. The only items reported stolen were five laptops, which are separate from the BVDs and do not pose a threat to the integrity of elections.

The circulated memo was intended for internal asset reconciliation and is part of the Commission’s routine procedures to ensure the accountability and return of all electoral equipment, including BVDs, to its custody.

“The Electoral Commission urges the public and all stakeholders to approach information dissemination with accuracy and responsibility, emphasizing that unverified speculations only serve to undermine public trust and the integrity of democratic processes.”

Below is the full statement 

PRESS RELEASE ON MISSING BVRs