The Electoral Commission (EC) has justified its decision to auction obsolete Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs).
The IMANI Center for Policy and Education has called for an investigation into the auctioning of the BVDs following the discovery of 10 BVDs at a recycling facility in Madina.
Despite the Electoral Commission’s clarification that the BVDs were outdated and lawfully auctioned, Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, argues that such actions constitute a misappropriation of state resources and necessitate an investigation.
In a Face to Face interview on Citi TV, the Director of Electoral Services, Dr Serebour Quaicoe, said they received permission from the finance ministry to auction their obsolete equipment, including the BVDs, adding that they acted within the law.
He detailed that the auction was properly advertised in the Daily Graphic and that the recycling company at Madina, which was one of six auctioneers, was selected after an interview process.
“I want to put on record that the BVDs and BVRs were those which were used before 2020, we acquired new ones. So, once we acquired new ones, these ones were obsolete, we’re not using them. They were still occupying space, so the Commission wrote to the district valuer, STC, they did the evaluation of all the materials, and we have documentation to that effect.
“We sent permission to the Ministry of Finance seeking permission to dispose of. They also replied and gave us the permission to go ahead. The Commission interviewed six auctioneers and one of them was picked. And a little recycling company bought them located at Oyarifa, they have EPA approval to do all those things. The auctioneer advertised it, look for February 1, 2024, Daily Graphic.”
When questioned if the EC violated any law in the process of disposing of the machines, he responded, “Not at all, State valuer assessed it, we wrote to the finance ministry, approval was given, and the items were valued.
“They did interviews and the auctioneers auctioned the items. All the money generated was paid into the Consolidated Fund. We went through the legal means.”
He added that the commission is not worried about the brouhaha surrounding the auctioneering because they have not committed any offence.
“We’re not worried because we have not committed any offence. The documents are there.”