Innolink rejects NPP allegations over printing of presidential ballots

Management of Innolink, the company printing the ballot papers for the Greater Accra and Volta Regions, have denied allegations by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) that one of their officers handed over the plate for the Presidential ballot papers to an unknown man.

Manager of Corporate Affairs, Mr Abraham Tettey-Nartey said "no presidential ballot has been given out by any staff officer of Innolink Ghana Limited, the printing company."

The NPP had earlier lodged a complaint with the police calling for a full-scale investigation into the matter they described as “unlawful and a breach of the process.”

During a press address in Accra today, Mr Tettey-Nartey explained that another printing company named Aero-Vote Limited approached Innolink on Monday, November 21, 2016, to assist with the exposure of only one printing plate for the printing of the statement of Poll also known as Pink Sheet.

In his words, “the management of Innolink consented to assist Aero-Vote to expose the plate since Innolink remains one of the few security-printing companies in Ghana with plate-baking machines […] the plate was duly exposed and the completed job was handed over to a representative of Aero-Vote who duly left with it.”

The print house stated there was a follow-up stakeholders meeting with the Electoral Commission(EC) Chairperson, Mrs Charlotte Osei and her team, management of Innolink, Political party representatives and the BNI where the NPP representatives said their report did not state that the plate sent out was a presidential ballot.

Innolink again confirmed that there was no “security breach” because their printing process is under a close 24-hour observation by the National Security, Police, BNI, EC, as well as the various political party representatives.

The printing company assured Ghanaians that all the plates used in printing the presidential and parliamentary ballot papers are still complete adding that they are “resolute in their commitment to ensuring that the integrity of the electoral process remains intact.”