[ 2016-11-24 ]

Innolink denies ‘smuggling’ out presidential ballot printing plate
Innolink Ghana Limited, one of the few companies
contracted by the Electoral Commission (EC) to
print electoral materials for the December polls
has dismissed the claim that it has given out a
presidential ballot plate to a private
individual.

Business Development Manager of Innolink, Kingsley
Kofi Addo at a news conference in Accra said
findings of their investigation into the matter
revealed the plate that was handed out was that of
Form Eight popularly known as Pink Sheet and not
the presidential ballot plate alleged by
opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).

“We wish to state that our own preliminary
investigation has established the following facts
that no plate of the presidential ballot had been
given out by any officer," the spokesperson said.

The NPP has raised concerns regarding some
activities of companies contracted by the EC to
print electoral materials for the upcoming polls.

The party had, some few week ago, questioned the
decision by the Commission to print supplementary
Pink Sheets without serial numbers. The NPP has
argued this contradicted C.I.94, the law governing
the 2016 general elections.

EC Director of Communications, Eric Dzakpasu
issued a statement to the effect that the
Commission together with political party
representatives had agreed that the supplementary
documents would instead of having serial numbers,
there would be space for the numbers to be entered
in them.

He described as falsehood another claim by the NPP
that it played no role in the decision.

With less than 12 days to the presidential and
parliamentary election, the NPP has again faulted
Innolink Ghana Limited for conniving to hand out
the presidential ballot plate to a private
individual.

NPP Director of Elections, Martin Adjei Mensah
told Raymond Acquah, host of Joy FM's Top Story
programme Wednesday said he has found the
explanation of the company contradictory.

According to him, the official statement of the
company and explanation of its officers are
contradictory. They are irreconcilable, he said.

Mr Adjei Mensah said the NPP has not said anywhere
that the company gave out a presidential ballot
plate to the unidentified individual.

He said they were told that a man went into the
office of Innolink and later came out with the
General Manager while holding what appeared to be
a ballot plate.

He said the NPP's agents who are assigned to
monitor activities at the various printing houses
have been trained to report any sneaky and
suspicious dealings and that was what they did.

"We have made the report to the police to find out
the plate that was sent out. We cannot verify that
the presidential ballot plate is what was given,"
Mr Adjei Mensah said.

Head of Marketing at Innolink Ghana Limited,
Michael Quartson said the Commission contracted
them to print the presidential and parliamentary
ballot for both the Greater Accra and Volta
Regions.

He said the reason Innolink was in possession of
the plate for the Pink Sheet was because the
company was approached by Aerovote, a company
awarded with the printing of Notice of polls and
the Pink Sheet to provide some kind of service for
it.

"What Aerovote was asking us to do was that they
had a challenge with their baking machine [and]
because we are one of the few companies in the
country that can do that they brought it to be
burnt," Mr Quartson said.

He said after they completed the work, Aerovote
sent one of their personnel to come for the Pink
Sheet plate, adding "What went out wasn't
presidential ballot plate but a statement of
polls."

Source - Joyfm

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