NO BALLOT SLIPS?
‘I Never Gave Out Slips To Anybody’
Story: Stephen Sah
NII Lantey Vanderpuje, the National Democratic Congress(NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Odododiodoo Constituency, who is standing trial at an Accra circuit court for alleged electoral malpractice has denied any wrongdoing.He stated that he never gave out any slips to anybody to register for him and that the jersey he was alleged to have given to one of the people he recruited to register for him together with some other items was stolen from his house.He said the items which were hanging on a drying line in his house got missing about two months prior to the day he allegedly met those he recruited in his house and gave them slips to enable them to take photo identity cards for him.His denial was contained in a statement he gave to the police and tendered in court yesterday by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Ransford Larbi Biney, the investigator.Nii Vanderpuje who was said to have contracted six persons to engage in double registration during the recent voters’ registration exercise is being tried together with Musah Fuseini, 41 and Gariba Mohammed, 22, both traders.Nii Vanderpuje was charged with five counts of abetment of crime, whereas the other accused persons were being tried on a charge of registering voters without authority.They have pleaded not guilty to all the charges and the court, presided over by Mr Williwise Kyeremeh, has granted each of them bail in the sum of ¢30 million with one surety.Nii Vanderpuje further denied knowing the young man he is alleged to have given the jersey to and that the jersey was among other items which were on a dry line and got missing.“I consider the items as minor and did not report the theft to the police but my household and neighbours know about it,” he said. Nii Vanderpuje said he was in his house when he heard a strong banging and knocking at his door and since he was not feeling well, he asked his wife to see who it was.He said seven policemen came in and introduced a certain youngman to him and asked if he could identify the man but he replied in the negative. They also told him that he had engaged in electoral malpractice.The policemen, he said,searched his room and asked him to produce his registration slips which he did and brought out six slips belonging to his family.He said the policemen arrested him and on the way to the police headquarters he was told that they had received orders to conduct further searches in his house so they went back.However in their separate statements to the police, Musah and Garibah linked Nii Vanderpuje to the recruitment of people to register for him.According to Musah, Nii Vanderpuje told him to organise some people to take photographs to register for him so he contacted Garibah, who brought some people and he sent them to the house of Nii Vanderpuje.He said when they got to the house of Nii Vanderpuje, he (Musah) introduced the people to him and he also did same and asked Banza Bakoe to take the men to the registration centre at Korle Wuokon.On their return, Musah said, Seidu Zakari decided not to give out his identity card but he was prevailed upon to give it out, which he obliged and requested for the jersey.He said Nii Vanderpuje gave the men ¢100, 000 and promised that he would visit them every month until the election day.Garibah corroborated the evidence of Musah and said it was Musah who asked him to accompany him to some place and on the way other people joined them and they all went to the house of Nii Vanderpuje.He said on arrival, Musah went to knock at a door and Nii Vanderpuje came out, followed by a woman he believed was the wife, and brought out, the slips which they sent to the registration centre to take their photographs.Testifying under cross-examination by Nii Okaidja Adamafio, counsel for Nii Vanderpuje, Mr Biney, said initially when the case was referred to him, the accused persons, together with four others, were investigated and arrested on July 24, 2004.He denied that he did not conduct a thorough investigation into the case.
‘I Never Gave Out Slips To Anybody’
Story: Stephen Sah
NII Lantey Vanderpuje, the National Democratic Congress(NDC) parliamentary candidate for the Odododiodoo Constituency, who is standing trial at an Accra circuit court for alleged electoral malpractice has denied any wrongdoing.He stated that he never gave out any slips to anybody to register for him and that the jersey he was alleged to have given to one of the people he recruited to register for him together with some other items was stolen from his house.He said the items which were hanging on a drying line in his house got missing about two months prior to the day he allegedly met those he recruited in his house and gave them slips to enable them to take photo identity cards for him.His denial was contained in a statement he gave to the police and tendered in court yesterday by Assistant Superintendent of Police, Mr Ransford Larbi Biney, the investigator.Nii Vanderpuje who was said to have contracted six persons to engage in double registration during the recent voters’ registration exercise is being tried together with Musah Fuseini, 41 and Gariba Mohammed, 22, both traders.Nii Vanderpuje was charged with five counts of abetment of crime, whereas the other accused persons were being tried on a charge of registering voters without authority.They have pleaded not guilty to all the charges and the court, presided over by Mr Williwise Kyeremeh, has granted each of them bail in the sum of ¢30 million with one surety.Nii Vanderpuje further denied knowing the young man he is alleged to have given the jersey to and that the jersey was among other items which were on a dry line and got missing.“I consider the items as minor and did not report the theft to the police but my household and neighbours know about it,” he said. Nii Vanderpuje said he was in his house when he heard a strong banging and knocking at his door and since he was not feeling well, he asked his wife to see who it was.He said seven policemen came in and introduced a certain youngman to him and asked if he could identify the man but he replied in the negative. They also told him that he had engaged in electoral malpractice.The policemen, he said,searched his room and asked him to produce his registration slips which he did and brought out six slips belonging to his family.He said the policemen arrested him and on the way to the police headquarters he was told that they had received orders to conduct further searches in his house so they went back.However in their separate statements to the police, Musah and Garibah linked Nii Vanderpuje to the recruitment of people to register for him.According to Musah, Nii Vanderpuje told him to organise some people to take photographs to register for him so he contacted Garibah, who brought some people and he sent them to the house of Nii Vanderpuje.He said when they got to the house of Nii Vanderpuje, he (Musah) introduced the people to him and he also did same and asked Banza Bakoe to take the men to the registration centre at Korle Wuokon.On their return, Musah said, Seidu Zakari decided not to give out his identity card but he was prevailed upon to give it out, which he obliged and requested for the jersey.He said Nii Vanderpuje gave the men ¢100, 000 and promised that he would visit them every month until the election day.Garibah corroborated the evidence of Musah and said it was Musah who asked him to accompany him to some place and on the way other people joined them and they all went to the house of Nii Vanderpuje.He said on arrival, Musah went to knock at a door and Nii Vanderpuje came out, followed by a woman he believed was the wife, and brought out, the slips which they sent to the registration centre to take their photographs.Testifying under cross-examination by Nii Okaidja Adamafio, counsel for Nii Vanderpuje, Mr Biney, said initially when the case was referred to him, the accused persons, together with four others, were investigated and arrested on July 24, 2004.He denied that he did not conduct a thorough investigation into the case.
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