By: Franklin ASARE-DONKOH
Ghana’s electoral management body, the Electoral Commission (EC), says none of its Biometric Verification Devices (BVD) are missing, contrary to claims made by the leader of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) minority caucus in Parliament Dr. Cassiel Ato Baah Forson.
According to the electoral management body, all its BDVs are intact and well-secured. Saying the only items missing from their custody are five (5) stolen laptops.
In response to inquiries from the NDC Minority group in Parliament, regarding the alleged disappearance of seven (7) BVD machines, the Deputy Chairperson of the EC in Charge of Corporate Services, Dr. Bossman Asare, addressing the press at the EC’s headquarters, maintained that all biometric devices are securely stored, affirming the Commission’s readiness for the December polls.
He, therefore, called for calm and reassured the public that the theft of the laptops would not have any negative impact on the integrity of the 2024 general elections.
Dr. Bossman Asare further emphasized that the missing items are merely laptops devoid of any sensitive information.
“We are fully ready for the election and we can confirm that five laptops have been stolen and these are laptops that do not contain any information about anyone. They do not contain information, so there are no risks.” He reiterated.
The Deputy Chairperson of the EC in Charge of Corporate Services also took the opportunity to address some contradictions people have about BVDs and BVRs.
“We are also picking up information that people are contradicting the BVDs and the BVRs. BVDs are used for verification and BVRs are for registration.
You will have to connect the two devices before you can use them and with the BVDs, they are used only when we are going to vote. If someone steals the BVDs, they cannot use them and we want to emphasize that five laptops are missing and we are working with the police to retrieve them.” He explained.
The Minority Caucus raised concerns about the stolen BVD machines on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, with Minority Leader Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson calling upon the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and the Police Service to promptly investigate the matter.