GHS2.5m accreditation cash intact – EC boss

The estimated GHS2.5million accrued from fees charged journalists for accreditation cards during the 2016 elections is intact and not missing, Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Mrs Charlotte Osei has told parliament on Wednesday, 26 July.

The money, according to her, is in the EC’s bank account at GCB Bank.

She said the failure of the EC to have captured the amount in its financial statement for 2017 was an “oversight”.

Her appearance in parliament followed an urgent question filed by Subin MP Eugene Antwi in connection with anomalies in the EC’s financial statement.

Prior to the elections, the EC charged journalists GHS10 for the accreditation card and GHS5 for the replacement of voter IDs. She said the charges were necessary because there was no way the EC could have estimated the number of journalists who would cover the elections so as to budget for them.