The Electoral Commission (EC) has reassured the general public of transparent elections come December 7, 2024, after the Ghana Police Service arrested one Yaw Korateng for being in possession of a device suspected to be a property of the Commission.
Mr. Yaw Korateng was arrested on Friday, August at Nsawam in the Eastern region in possession of a Biometric Verification Device (BVD) with serial number VVD49976 believed to be for the EC.
Earlier this year, the EC announced the stolen of some items from the North Tongu and Tarkwa Nsuaem district.
This raised concerns from various individuals including the largest opposition NDC with regards to the credibility of the upcoming general elections.
Meanwhile, in a statement signed by the deputy chairman of operations at the EC, Samuel Tettey, “A stolen BVD cannot jeopardize the integrity of the 2024 Elections,” and stated its resolve to address the concern.
The EC explained that the stolen BVD was nothing more than an off-the-shelf device and could not be used to compromise an election without the necessary technical and security protocols.
Additionally, the Commission added that it undertook a deliberate process of “preparing” a biometric verification device for any election ensuring that only devices prepared for a particular election could be used for that election.
“This process is robust and is not vulnerable to manipulation. The possession of a BVD that has not gone through this rigorous process that is yet to happen for the 2024 election does not affect the integrity of the election,” the statement noted.
The EC has therefore assured the public that the stolen BVD cannot compromise the integrity of the 2024 Elections adding that they are conducting internal investigations and will collaborate with the Police to bring this matter to its logical conclusion.
The Electoral Commission is currently undertaking the exhibition of the Provisional Voter Register (PVR) and is expected to bring the exercise to a close on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.
