We need more details on the auctioning process and the company that won the bid on the 10 obsolete BVDs – IMANI-Africa

IMANI Africa, a policy think tank, has demanded answers from the Electoral Commission on the processes involved in the auctioning of the 10 obsolete biometric verification devices (BVDs) found at a recycling company in Madina were sold to.

In a statement, the EC disclosed that the obsolete devices had been legally auctioned by the Electoral Commission.

The electoral body, in a statement issued on April 26, 2024, said the obsolete BVDs were acquired before the 2012 elections and were used by the current Commission for the 2019 District Level Elections (DLE).

It said the previous administration had planned to refurbish these obsolete devices for the 2018 Referendum and the 2019 DLE, despite being advised by the Managers of the Commission’s Biometric Infrastructure that the equipment had reached its end of life and was obsolete.

It continued that the allegations of sneaking out devices for recycling at a loss to the state are false.

The EC added that an auction was conducted transparently, and proceeds were duly deposited in the Consolidated Fund.

Reacting to this, IMANI-Africa questioned the Electoral Commission (EC) on the basis of the auctioning process.

It is also demanding clarification on various aspects of the process, the auctioneers, whether they were licensed, and how the auction was conducted.

IMANI-Africa also wants to know the successful bidders and the purpose behind purchasing obsolete devices hard-coded for electoral purposes.

The think tank admonished the EC to provide Ghanaians with detailed information on the auction and disposal of these BVDs.

“The EC claims that the 10 BVDs were auctioned and that they just somehow then found their way into a recycling plant. Who were the auctioneers? Are they registered auctioneers licensed to conduct auctions by the Auctioneers Registration Board?”

“Who were the successful bidders? How was the auction advertised? Why would anyone want to buy 10 used biometric devices that the EC claims have been “hard-coded” for electoral purposes, for which reason it has refused to use the thousands of devices bought in recent years?”

“Why would a commercial recycling plant be interested in just 10 devices? Who authorised the recycling of the devices in a facility without adequate secure data handling capabilities?”