IMANI petitions CHRAJ to investigate EC for breaking the law - Full text

This morning, I instructed IMANI to file a petition. The petition is to the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice. It requests an investigation into the Electoral Commission of Ghana. This is regarding breaches in the “firesale of electoral equipment for scrap” scandal.

You can find a copy of the petition here: [IMANI Petition](https://imaniafrica.org/2024/05/petition-to-investigate-the-electoral-commissions-conduct-in-the-retirement-and-disposal-of-elections-related-equipment/).

My colleagues and I at IMANI are very concerned. We believe the Electoral Commission (EC) mismanaged national resources. This conduct amounts to “misappropriation,” “wastage,” and “misuse.” At a time when Ghana struggles with debt, this behavior is unacceptable.

In our petition, we expressed concern over the EC’s actions. They prematurely retired and disposed of thousands of laptops, cameras, printers, scanners, and fingerprint verifiers. We believe these actions were influenced by conflicts of interest. The EC seems to favor commercial vendors over public good.

We also stated that the EC's recent actions aim to reduce transparency and accountability. This raises concerns about potential corruption within the organization. By disposing of equipment, they may be trying to erase evidence of past falsehoods regarding purchase history.

We assert that the EC's electoral equipment was acquired between 2011 and 2019. It does not uniformly date back to 2011 or 2012 as claimed by the EC. Therefore, it cannot be considered obsolete enough for a firesale to unknown bidders.

Some devices cost over $3000 each and are worth millions collectively. These should have been donated or sold through proper channels under public procurement laws. The equipment contains sensitive voter information that could be misused if not handled properly.

We doubt that the EC followed data protection standards during these transactions. None had certifications necessary for handling such sensitive equipment.

I have also suggested referring this matter to the Office of the Special Prosecutor for further assessment on corruption risks.

If any updates arise or additional actions are taken, IMANI will inform the public promptly.

We hope our institutions will uphold their responsibilities towards Ghanaians.

Franklin Cudjoe
Executive Director, IMANI Center for Policy & Education

Context

In 2020, the EC began procuring new equipment for elections in Ghana. This included biometric devices and communication systems essential for public elections.

The main components include:

- Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs): Handheld tools used at polling stations.
- Biometric Voter Registration kits (BVRs): Equipment sets including laptops and cameras.
- ABIS Software: Algorithms ensuring unique identification of voters.
- Databases: Physical locations hosting software systems and voter records.

IMANI opposed this procurement after reviewing claims made by the EC about obsolescence since 20