IPNews-Monrovia: Report reaching the authoritative Independent Probe,says serious controversy has engulfed commissioners of the National Elections Commission-NEC, over repeated report of some un-becoming acts of at least three election magistrates over report of duplication of voter cards and voter trucking without investigation.

Sources tell IPNews that the matter has claimed the attention of the commissioners at an all day meeting held on Monday, September 21,2020, at the NEC head office in Sinkor.

The report says the National Elections Commission is expected to probe magistrates assigned in Bomi, Grand Gedeh and Grand Cape Mount counties to ascertain how double or triple voters cards allegedly enter the hands of some registered voters, including a comprehensive explanation over reported voter trucking by aspirants and candidates.

Now, evident by the reported controversy, the Chairperson of the National Elections Commission on yesterday Tuesday,September 22,2020, addressed the Media on the reported voter trucking and Voter card duplication.

NEC’s chairperson Davidetta Brown-Lassanah, told Journalists that the National Elections Commission has commenced investigation into the matter and details of the investigation will be released to the public following what she termed as ‘administrative consultations’.

Cllr. Brown-Lassanah stated the NEC instituting the investigation along with the three magistrates.

“We have instituted administrative measures in terms of consultations with the three magistrates under the authority given to us by the new elections law and when we are done with our investigation and consultancy with them we will come back to you,” Cllr. Brown-Lassanah stated.

Information coming in says the three magistrates Luther Dean of Bomi, Arthur Z. Y. Duogee of Grand Gedeh and David Armah of Cape Mount counties are being investigated for comments or acts that are in compatible their Term of Reference (TOR).

The report states that Dean had earlier confirmed that voters trucking was taking place in Bomi county, but failed to mention those involved in the process. Dean, was reportedly quoted as saying that there was no law against voter trucking.

Armah, on the other hand, is being accused of being involved in voter trucking on behalf of a politician who is an senatorial aspirant in the county.

Terming trucking “criminal” and prohibited under the New Elections Law of Liberia Chapter 10.1(a), Brown-Lassanah said such act is punishable under the law by a fine or imprisonment of up to six months.

“While the NEC is not clothed with authority to impose criminal penalties, the Commission frowns on the trucking of citizens for political purpose, and calls on all involved in this practice to immediately desist,” she said.

“Let it be known that a person who is trucked to another area is also in violation of Chapter 3 of the New Elections Law, which states that a person must register to vote in the area where he or she ordinarily resides. If established, consistent with due process of law, that a person was trucked in this regard, his or her name will be removed from the voter roll and turned over to the Ministry of Justice for further action.

On the issue of multiple voter registrations, NEC chairperson described as criminal anyone who will be engage in multiple registrations. She added: “The NEC is in contact with the Ministry of Justice to prosecute people involved in double registrations,” she added.

In a bid to put into place measures to remedy double registrations, NEC said it will conduct a de-duplication exercise to identify multiple registrants.

“An application was developed and inserted into the voter registration software by our international partners that enables data analysts at the Data Center to capture multiple/duplicate voters in our system,” NEC chairperson said.

NEC, through its chairperson, also revealed that the first registration record of a registered voter would kept on the Final Registration Roll, (FRR), except where the voter legally transferred to a new voting location and the first record is deleted.

And that the second and/or any other registration done by that same individual is considered ‘Excluded Duplicate Voter’; this list is usually printed and attached at the back of the FRR for polling staff reference on Election Day and copy is given to Ministry of Justice for prosecution.

Addition, there will also be a period of exhibition of the Voter Roll for citizens to contest illegal registrants (non-citizens, non-residents, and multiple registrants).

Addressing the concern on vetting Of Referendum Symbols, the NEC stayed that it has vetted the three symbols by stakeholders and the Board of Commissioners (BOC) has approved them for printing and posting through the 19 magisterial areas across Liberia. The symbols will be subjects of nation-wide voter education for the Referendum.

Constitutional Referendum is expected to be held along with the Special Senatorial Elections on December 8, 2020. The three propositions for the Referendum will be represented by symbols.

Meanwhile, amid these increasing complaints of a fraudulent voter roll update, an official of the Unity Party and the Collaborating Political Parties (CPP), Rep. Hassan Kiazolu (District #17, Montserrado County) has hinted at the possibility of the 54th Legislature of Liberia putting a halt to the entire voter roll process to avert the country from degenerating into chaos.

Since the National Elections Commission (NEC) launched the voter roll update to pave the way for the December 8, 2020 special senatorial elections and national referendum, the process has been marred by allegations of fraud.

Footages and pictorials from across the country show throng of would-be voters being trucked allegedly by senatorial candidates to register in their counties in a bid to reap more votes in the ensuing elections.

While opposing candidates accuse one another for the fraudulent acts, others said the NEC’s decision to conduct new registration for first time voters opened the floodgate to the rampant fraudulent acts, voter trucking and double registrations

Rep. Kiazolu who chairs the Unity Party (UP) Legislative Caucus, addressing a reporters at his Capitol Building office said if the NEC, which should be displaying a high level of integrity in order to conduct a free and transparent election is unable to do so, then it will be prudent to take a stance that will stop the country from degenerating in to chaos.

“The National Elections Commission should be the first line of integrity. But if those we trusted with the elections are encouraging fraud, then they themselves are fraudsters. And we cannot continue with them because the country will be degenerating into chaos,” he said.

Rep. Kiazolu was speaking following a communication he wrote to the House through Speaker Bhofal Chambers, seeking the acquiescence of the House’s highest decision making body, the plenary, to invite the heads of the National Elections Commission to respond to a barrage of allegations of fraud that have marred the voter roll update since it was launched .

However, his communication was deferred to today, Wednesday for deliberations and subsequent actions.

Additionally, the Montserrado County District #17 Representative’s assertions followed the CPP announcement of taking both political and legal actions against the NEC for its refusal to clean up the Final Voter roll in keeping with the Supreme Court’s ruling of 2017 and the June 2020 Resolution by the Legislature.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the CPP accused the NEC of engaging a voter roll update that is characterized by fraud and threatened to file series of legal actions against the electoral body today, Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

The Parties said: “The CPP has considered taking both political and legal actions against the national Elections commission (NEC) of Liberia for its blatant refusal to clean up the Final Voter Roll in keeping with the Supreme Court ruling of 2017 and the June 2020 Resolution by the Legislature. On top of that, the NEC has engaged into a voter roll update that is characterized by fraud at every level which is only pilling up the messiness of the voter roll.”

The statement further mentioned that leaders of the four political parties which make up the CPP, including Alexander B. Cummings of the Alternative National Congress (ANC) Benoni Urey of the All Liberian Party (ALP), Senator Nyonblee Karngar Lawrence, Liberty Party (LP) and former VP Joseph N. Boakai of the Unity Party (UP) will the legal team the court and called on all of its partisans to form part to the march to the Supreme Court. (Courtesy of IPNews & Forntpageafrica)