CHRAJ TO PROBE CORRUPTION AT EC

Mr. Joseph Wittal, CHRAJ Boss 

A three member panel of the Anti-Corruption unit under the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), is to investigate acts of bribery allegation at the Electoral Commission (EC) where voters who have misplaced  their voter Identity (ID) cards and wish to replace them are made to pay unofficial amount of money. 

The panel met with the private investigative journalist – Dundas Whigham, who went undercover to expose corruption at the EC. Evidences have since been submitted to the commission, but they have failed to act on the matter. 

Evidences of the investigative work were aired and discussed on Joy FM Super Morning Show Programme, Corruption Watch on January 10^th, 2018. 

Meeting With CHRAJ

The meeting follows a complaint the investigator made to the Tiger Eye Foundation and Klarity (both anti-corruption organisations) alleging extorting of unofficial amount of money by some EC staff before replacing lost Voter ID cards to prospective voters.

The two anti-corruption organisations forwarded the complaint to one of their partners in the fight against corruption - the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), where it was subsequently forwarded to CHRAJ on the 8^th December, 2017.

The three member panel headed by Madam Adeline Woananu, a senior investigator said they have received a letter from the GII and wanted to probe further on the said corruption case.

“We have received a complaint from the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) alleging corruption at the Electoral Commission. GII stated in the letter to contact you (investigator) for further clarification and evidence on the matter”, she said.

After being showed the evidences involved in the corruption case, the panel stated their willingness to probe further by inviting all parties involved and publish their report shortly.

Facts of the Case

On January 10^th, 2018, Joy FM Super Morning Show programme – Corruption Watch, aired and discussed a clear example of extortion where prospective voters who have misplaced their voter ID Cards must go through should they wish to have them replaced. 

The video evidences were since uploaded on Klarity.org – an anti-corruption platform where users can share acts of corruption by providing reliable facts for actions to be taken.

Officially, prospective voters who have misplaced their Voter ID must pay an amount of Ghc5 at the Ghana Commercial Bank and take the bank receipt to the EC district office where the previous registration took place to have it replaced, an official statement by the EC says.

However, some EC staff, including those at the EC head office in Accra and Kasoa are manipulating the system by charging unofficial amount of money ranging from Ghc30 to Ghc50 per person before replacing them.

The investigator posed as someone who has misplaced his voter ID and went to the Kasoa EC office, in the Awutu Senya East District of the Central Region where the staff Madam Harriet Djanie was caught on tape, twice collecting Ghc30 and Ghc40 before replacing lost voter ID. 

The reason was that they have run out of laminate and that one of their staff must be sent to another EC office to get some of the laminate. Thus, the investigator must take care of the person’s transportation (TNT). 

However, checks from the EC then, revealed that there were no shortage of laminates.

This occurred on the 8^th June, 2017. However, the investigator's camera failed to get a good content to back his claim during the time money (Ghc30) was being exchanged from one hand to the other.

In order to prove that corruption had taken place and the quest to gather enough evidences, the investigator went there again on 16^th June, 2017, but this time through a colleague with the assistance of a good recording gadget. 

Again, the EC staff demanded Ghc40 (an increase of Ghc10 in less than a week); and the same reason –“we have run out of laminate”.  

The unofficial amount may seem too small, but bigger corruption in nature. In one of the videos, the staff showed a list of “over 500” people who were yet to come for their cards but “there is no laminate”. Should Ghc40 be multiplied by 500, the result will be Ghc20,000; just at one EC office.

In one of the videos, a security officer at the EC’s Head office confirmed this same practice of extortion by some of their members.        

PETTY, BIGGER CORRUPTION: EC Officer Caught Collecting Bribe Using “TNT” in Disguise

 Mr. Kofi Dzakpasu,Head of Communications Public Relations of the EC

An Electoral Commission (EC) officer at the Kasoa office in the Awutu Senya East constituency of the Central Region has been caught on camera collecting bribe before replacing lost Voter Identity (ID) card.

Madam Harriet Djanie usually uses “transport" (TNT) fare ranging from Ghc30 to Gh50 per person as a way of getting people to become victims to her disguised tactics.

Twice she was caught on camera collecting bribe before replacing lost voter ID card; a private investigations supported by Tiger Eye Foundation and Klarity (both anti-corruption organizations) has revealed.

This corrupt activity perpetrated by some EC staff is nothing new to the officers at its Head office in Accra.

Officially, “persons requesting for replacement of lost voter Identification (ID) cards are to pay five Ghana cedis into the Electoral Commission’s bank account”.

This directive was issued by the EC’s Sunyani Municipal Officer, Mr. Yaw Opoku (Source: Ghana news Agency, April 30th, 2016) 

He further added that persons must present a copy of the deposit slip to the Commission’s District Office for registration and issuance of a new voter ID card. This directive is clearly being abused, not only at the Kasoa EC office, but also at its head office at Ridge, Accra.

EC Response

When contacted with an evidence on whether the EC has now tasked its staff to charge transport fares in addition to the official fee of Ghc5 before replacing lost voter ID, the Head of Communications, Public Relations of the EC Mr. Kofi Dzakpasu stated that “may be I am having some challenges getting your videos but it is all that I got. And it doesn’t tell me much about what you are alluding to and alleging".

"All the same we are going to study it and revert. I am very eager and anxious to get to the bottom and unravel this thing so if there are some more videos that I have not gotten please forward them to me”, Mr. Dzakpasu noted. 

When new evidence was sent to him via WhatsApp, he reacted with the surprise emoji and added “Huh”?

“I have submitted to the Commission. The Commission will study it. Those involved will be invited for their side of the story and an investigation must be made. This is a serious allegation and as such we need to follow due process and those involved have the right to be heard”, he stated.

At Kasoa Office 

   

According to Madam Djanie, her outfit has ran out of laminates and that she has to send a colleague to a different EC office by providing the transport fare to facilitate the movement of her colleague to bring some of the laminates to her office.

However, checks at the EC head office then revealed that there were no shortage of laminates.

The amount - Ghc30 and Ghc40 per person may not be any big money in the eyes of many Ghanaians, however, in another video, she was captured pulling a tall list of over 500 people who were yet to come for their Voter ID cards because there were no laminates.

This makes the practice not petty alone, but bigger corruption in nature. Should Ghc40 be multiplied with 500, you are getting Ghc20,000. Checks from some regions have revealed similar practice by some EC staff. 

At Accra EC Head Office, Ridge 

In one of the videos shot at the EC head office in Accra, a staff said “people have started reporting us because some of the staff inside there charge money before replacing lost voter ID cards”

This staff became suspicious of our presence there and directed us to go to where we registered. This is how come the Kasoa EC officer was caught.

Sequence of Events 

On our first day of visit, Madam Harriet Djanie noted that her office has ran out of laminate. She agreed to help. 

“Because we are not into any exercise, any agenda, they (EC) are just feeling reluctant. Since last year September “y’a reporte aa y’abre” (we are tired of reporting) [shortage of laminates]. 

She added "we said they should even announce “se” (that) they’ve put hold on it so that people wouldn’t even come to the office and disturb us. That one too they (EC) are refusing to do it. So I don’t know"(thinking of how to help).

"If am able to get some of the laminate for you, you know our laminate is not also sold on the market. If am able to get some for you, you just drop your number. If I manage to get some for you, I will give you a call. Ok."

"But the problem will be that if they will have to send someone to bring it, then you will have to pay the person’s transportation for the person”, she narrated. 

     

Contact numbers were exchanged and true to her words, she called just the next day. It was on Friday afternoon and we agreed that because it was late, we should schedule it for Monday. “So you drop the transportation for the person. Its Ghc30”, Madam Djanie noted. 

   
On Monday when the money was being handed to her, the camera failed to capture the hand receiving the money, but captured the moment she put the money in her drawer.

The Second Coming 

To prove with empirical evidence that indeed corruption took place, my team went back again, but this time through a different colleague who also posed as someone who has misplaced the voter ID card and wanted one immediately.

Same procedures were followed by going to the Ghana Commercial Bank to pay Ghc5. This time, the EC staff demanded for Ghc40 for transport fare. The money was paid directly to her and was caught on camera. 

To view all the videos, readers are advised to visit Klarity.org (Petty Corruption at the Electoral Commission). Checks from Klarity note that a complaint has been forwarded to the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) and they are yet to respond.