The four individuals arrested in connection with the theft of Biometric Voter Registration kits belonging to the Electoral Commission (EC) have been remanded into police custody.

The suspects have been formally charged with four counts of stealing and dishonestly receiving.

Among the accused are three officials of the Electoral Commission: Philip Lartey, a labourer; Benjamin Fianyi, a security officer; and Joseph Blankson Adumadzie, a database administrator. The fourth accused individual is Clifford Yeboah, identified as a student.

The three Electoral Commission staff members face charges of stealing and conspiracy to steal, while Clifford Yeboah faces a charge of dishonestly receiving stolen goods.

All four accused individuals have pleaded not guilty to the charges. According to the details of the case, five Dell laptops, part of the Biometric Voter Registration kits, were reported stolen.

Subsequent investigation led to the recovery of three HP laptops from Clifford Yeboah, the student. Additionally, one HP printer and three biometric verification device printer chargers were retrieved from Benyamin Fianyi, the security officer.

Police investigations revealed that the incident occurred on March 9, 2024, when officials of the Electoral Commission tasked casual workers and security officers with transporting materials from their old headquarters at Ridge to a warehouse at Spintex.

The theft was allegedly orchestrated by Benyamin Fianyi and Joseph Blankson Adumadzie, who conspired to steal HP printers.

Joseph Blankson Adumadzie purportedly stole an HP printer from one of the kit boxes and handed it over to another individual (referred to as A2). A2 then stole three Biometric Verification Device Printer Chargers.

Meanwhile, another individual (referred to as A1) stole three HP laptop computers from the kit boxes and gave one to Clifford Yeboah to keep while intending to repair the remaining two.