Minority calls for police investigations into EC’s missing seven Biometric Verification Devices
Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson, the Minority Leader in Parliament, has called on the Ghana Police Service and the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to conduct investigations into the missing seven Biometric Verification Devices of the Electoral Commission.
The Minority Leader made the appeal at a press briefing at Parliament House in Accra.
“Last night, it came to my attention that about seven of the biometric verification devices that the Electoral Commission uses to register Ghanaians into the electoral roll and also at the same time is used to verify us before you vote are missing, seven of them are missing,” he stated.
“So, I was a bit curious about the matter. And strangely I decided not to bring it out because we are to have a meeting with the Electoral Commission. I could not attend that meeting, but obviously my Deputy, working with the Chief Whips, were at the meeting.
“And the Electoral Commission confirms that seven of the biometric devices are indeed missing. I urge the CID and the Ghana Police Service to immediately issue a statement giving us the details of their investigation so far.”
Dr Forson noted that he was concerned and worried because those devices in the hands of an unknown person could compromise the future elections that Ghana would have.
“Who knows whether this is in the hands of a political party and who knows what that political party is doing with it? I am disturbed, and it brings to bare the settings and the storage of these facilities. Because if care is not taken, and these devices happen to be in the hands of a wrong person the 2024 elections will be at risk,” he stated.
“And so, I am asking, and I want to ask again, where are these devices? And to the Ghana Police Service and the CID, we urge them to expedite action in ascertaining where exactly these devices have been?
But strangely a matter of this magnitude, we shouldn’t be the people to ask the Electoral Commission, it should have been the Electoral Commission herself to make this matter public and not the Minority.”
He said the Minority was worried about it particularly because the 2024 general election was steering at Ghanaians in the face; saying, “the 2024 elections is about eight months away.”
“And this is missing at a very crucial time, at a time that we are aware that limited registration is about to start. Who has these seven biometric devices that have been reported as missing? It is a big question.”
The Electoral Commission has, however, debunked the claim.
Source: GNA