Auctioning of BVDs was conducted lawfully – EC maintains

Director of Electoral Services at the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr. Serebour Quaicoe, has defended the commission’s choice to auction obsolete Biometric Verification Devices (BVDs), following the discovery of 10 BVDs at a recycling facility in Madina.

While the IMANI Center for Policy and Education has urged an investigation into the auctioning of the BVDs, Dr. Quaicoe maintains that the devices were outdated and lawfully auctioned.

However, Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Africa, contends that such actions amount to misappropriation of state resources and require further scrutiny.

In a Face to Face interview on Citi TV, Dr. Quaicoe explained that they obtained permission from the finance ministry to auction obsolete equipment, including the BVDs, ensuring compliance with regulations.

He clarified that the auction process was properly advertised in the Daily Graphic, and a recycling company in Madina, selected from six auctioneers after an interview process, made the purchase.

“I want to put on record that the BVDs and BVRs were those which were used before 2020, we acquired new ones. So, once we acquired new ones, these ones were obsolete, we’re not using them. They were still occupying space, so the Commission wrote to the district valuer, STC, they did the evaluation of all the materials, and we have documentation to that effect.

“We sent permission to the Ministry of Finance seeking permission to dispose of. They also replied and gave us the permission to go ahead. The Commission interviewed six auctioneers and one of them was picked. And a little recycling company bought them located at Oyarifa, they have EPA approval to do all those things. The auctioneer advertised it, look for February 1, 2024, Daily Graphic.”

“They did interviews and the auctioneers auctioned the items. All the money generated was paid into the Consolidated Fund. We went through the legal means.”

“We’re not worried because we have not committed any offence. The documents are there.”