47yrs old man jailed …for registering 15 times in biometric exercise

By Helena Selby
A forty-seven year old man, who was arrested for registering fifteen times in the on-going biometric registration exercise in Accra, has been sentenced to two years in prison.

The accused person, Emmanuel Archibald Laryea, who claimed to have been suffering from a mental problem, was yesterday, convicted on his own plea of guilty on charges of registering more than once at registration centres, and causing harm at the District Magistrate Court.

Additionally, the court warded a fine amounting to GH¢6,600 on all the charges, and in default, serve two years and nine months in prison on the first and second charges respectively. The sentences are to run con-currently.

The court, presided over by Mr. Ali Baba Batsiri, further instructed that all the voter ID cards be destroyed in front of the Electoral Commission (EC), with the exception of the one bearing his name.

The prosecuting officer, Inspector P. Yaw Manu, presenting the facts to the court, indicated that the accused person was a labourer at Dansoman, while the complainant, Gideon Asare Barfour, was a Registration Officer.

According to the prosecutor, on April 19, 2012, at about 9:00 a.m., the convict went to the Naroda registration centre at Malam to register.

After producing his old voter's registration card and going through the process of scanning his fingerprints, the machine detected that the he had already registered, and had his card at the Tantua registration centre at Sakaman.

The police at Odorkor were informed, and he was arrested.

He reportedly admitted to the offence, and when the police conducted a search at his home, they found 15 biometric voter cards and 13 old voters' registration cards, as well as four toy revolvers.

The convict used names such as Gufhid Quist Jox Provencal, Qusitjox Danfo Kwetey, Epicurus Ahenu Tarlo, Justice Fred Provencal, Philip Obletey Tackie, Victus Wilfred Juqwyjbusu and Anthony Akote in the registration exercise.

Other names used include Victor Wilfred Abety Moux, Victor Gloveuched, Victor Wilfred Nampty, Provencal Kwetey Buzim, Laryea Archibald, Emmanuel Nii Laryea, and Job Maxwell Auashong, as he used different ages on all the registration cards.

The prosecutor disclosed that when the convict was arrested, he attempted to escape, but he was chased by General Corporal William Afedo, who managed to apprehend him.

When the policeman wanted to arrest him, Archibald reportedly bit the thumb of the peace officer, Corporal Afedo, resulting in an injury, and he had to be rushed to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital for treatment.