Two registration officers remanded over missing lap top

The Agona Swedru Circuit Court on Monday remanded two registration officers into police custody over the disappearance of a laptop computer being used in the on-going Biometric voter registration exercise at Agona Swedru.

Theophilous Zota, headteacher of the Roman Catholic Junior High School (JHS) and Registration Officer, and Richard Enyan, a student and WebCam Operator at the Registration Centre, pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing and conspiracy.

They would re-appear in court on Thursday, 5th April, 2012.

Prosecuting, Police Inspector Samuel Boatey, told the court presided over by Mr Nathaniel K. Osam, that the two were among officials engaged by the Electoral Commission (EC) to register eligible voters in the ongoing Biometric voter registration exercise at the Roman Catholic JHS Centre.

The prosecution said the two officers after completing the work on Sunday, April 1, 2012 kept the laptop in the headmaster's office at the School.

According to the prosecutor, since the exercise started Mr Zota has been keeping the machines and other items in his office.

Inspector Boatey said the two accused persons came to the school on Monday to realize that the office had been broken into and the laptop computer taken away.

The prosecutor said Zota immediately reported the incident to Mr Kwame Amoah, Agona West Municipal Director of the Electoral Commission (EC) who subsequently handed them over to the Agona Swedru District Police Command.

Meanwhile, the Agona Swedru District Directorate of the Electoral Commission is making further arrangements to replace of the two officers.

Mr Amoah said efforts were also being made to get a new computer from EC Regional office in Cape Coast to enable them to start work on the second phase of the registration exercise on Wednesday, April 4, 2012.**