Ghana’s election agency fails in bid to stop biometric procurement case against it

The Electoral Commission of Ghana (EC) has tried in vain to stop an investigation into claims that it got involved in procurement irregularities for a biometric election management system a few years ago.

Recently, the EC’s attempt to discontinue an investigation by the country’s Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) failed, according to GhanaWeb.

The outlet cites a ruling from CHRAL rejecting an appeal from the EC to throw out a petition filed by think tank IMANI Africa.

IMANI petitioned the EC in May last year over its decision to replace biometric registration and voter verification devices with a new contract that is said to have wasted public funds. The civil society organization also made allegations of lack of transparency, abuse of power, and potential financial loss amounting to millions of US dollars.

The EC had objected to the petition arguing that CHRAJ lacked the legal jurisdiction to look into the matter.

CHRAJ’s ruling, a copy of which is published by IMANI, insisted that per Articles 218 and 287 of the 1992 Constitution, it has the powers to probe into the EC matter, and to refer the same to other state authorities for further action if potential criminal action is detected.

The body said its mandate extends to issues relating to human rights, justice, and the fight against corruption.

In the ruling, CHRAJ called on the EC to cooperate in the investigation which will among other things look into the process for the award of the contract, the selection of bidders and whether the processes met regulatory requirements provided for by the law. It will also look into the processes for disposing of the old devices and related data protection issues.

The EC has faced a lingering string of controversies related to procurement breaches and the handling of public resources.

Article Topics

Africa  |  biometrics  |  elections  |  Ghana  |  procurement  |  voter registration