IMANI petitions CHRAJ over alleged mismanagement of equipment by EC

The IMANI Centre for Policy & Education has submitted a petition to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ). They are calling for an urgent investigation into serious breaches by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana. This relates to the controversial disposal of electoral equipment.

Franklin Cudjoe, Executive Director of IMANI, released a statement. He accused the EC of conducting a “firesale” of valuable electoral machinery. This includes laptops, digital cameras, fingerprint verifiers, printers, and scanners. IMANI believes this demonstrates “misappropriation,” “wastage,” and “misuse” of public resources.

Mr. Cudjoe stated that such conduct is unacceptable during a financial crisis. The nation is struggling to service its debts under an IMF-supervised fiscal regime.

The petition claims that tens of thousands of devices were sold off prematurely. IMANI describes these sales as occurring under murky conditions that benefit undisclosed commercial interests.

The group alleges a conflict between the EC’s duty to manage public resources and favoritism towards certain vendors. They argue that not all disposed equipment dates back to 2011 or 2012, as claimed by the EC.

Instead, it includes items procured and refurbished between 2011 and 2019. This undermines the claim that all equipment was obsolete. IMANI asserts that valuable assets were selected by unnamed bidders while others were discarded as scrap.

“This is not merely about procurement gone wrong,” their statement reads. It highlights a systemic attempt to erase inventory records and hide procurement history over four years.

IMANI also raises concerns about security implications from the EC’s actions. The disposed equipment reportedly contains sensitive biometric data and voter records. If this data falls into the wrong hands, it poses a national security threat.

They argue that the EC and its partners lacked necessary certifications for handling such information responsibly. Mr. Cudjoe noted that the disposal process did not meet basic data protection standards.

This negligence jeopardizes citizens' privacy and safety, potentially undermining Ghana’s electoral integrity. To ensure thorough review, Mr. Cudjoe may refer this matter to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for corruption assessment.

IMANI promises to keep the public updated on this case's progress and any further actions they may take. Mr. Cudjoe concluded with hope that institutions will not fail Ghanaians in this matter.