The Electoral Commission (EC) has refuted allegations made in a widely circulated social media video claiming that some EC-branded bags that were being smuggled outside the country contained dollars.
In a statement issued by the Deputy Chairman of Operations, Samuel Tettey on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, the EC clarified that the destruction of the ballot papers was a routine process carried out by Zoomlion, under the commission’s supervision, as part of preparations for the 2024 Election.
It explained that the destruction was necessitated by serialisation issues identified on the ballot papers.
"The said misleading video captures the destruction of Ballot Papers for the Ahafo and Volta regions as announced by the EC in the lead up to the 2024 General Election. The destruction was carried out by Zoomlion at the instance of the EC.
"Unfortunately, the original audio of the said video has been muted and replaced with a voice making false claims. The individual is heard falsely stating that the EC-branded bags which contain Ballot Papers meant for destruction rather contain dollars which are being smuggled by the New Patriotic Party (NPP)," it added.
The EC further reiterated its commitment to transparency.
"We entreat the Public to disregard the claims as they are false. To refresh the Public’s memory, the EC destroyed Ballot Papers printed for Ahafo and Volta regions due to serialization issues encountered with the said Ballot Papers. The Ballots were destroyed by Zoomlion under the supervision of the Electoral Commission, that explains the presence of staff of the Electoral Commission and Zoomlion in the said video.
"In the spirit of transparency that characterises the Commission’s operations, the media were invited to cover the destruction. Certificates of destruction as well as the original video are available and serve to buttress the fact that the voice superimposed over the original video is peddling falsehood," it added.
Read the full statement below:
JKB/AE
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