A 42 year-old Electoral officer for the 2020 polls, Ismail Quarshie has been fined GH¢960 for issuing a presidential ballot paper to himself and voting at the Kadia polling station although he is not a registered voter.
The suspect was fined by the Tamale District court on Monday, December 21, 2020 for committing the electoral offence.
The accused in the first hearing pleaded not guilty but subsequently pleaded guilty to the offence and prayed the court for leniency.
In his plea, he told the court he is a first time voter and a first time EC official and was in charge of the Presidential ballot paper and his action was out of excitement.
The court presided over by the His worship Amadu Issifu, heeded his plea for leniency and fined the accused with 80 penalty unit and in default, to serve a jail term of 4 months.
The Parliamentary results of the Savelugu Constituency was in contention after the accused person was caught casting his vote at the centre leading to some disturbances. The Regional EC officer Lucas Yeryil has since declared the election in favour of the NDC candidate.
In an interview with Citi News, the Northern Regional EC Director, Lucas Yiryel, cautioned recruits for election duties that the commission will not compromise on its integrity and persons who will be caught committing electoral offence will be made to face the law without fear or favour.
“The Commission will not condone or connive with anybody who is found foul of the law. We recruit neutral people to do the work for us. Their actions and inaction should be to the give credibility to the election and to go by the values and the principles of the Electoral Commission so if they go out to do something untoward, the law will take its cause,” he said.
He however expressed satisfaction with the decision of the court.