By Saio Marrah
A staff of Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone (ECSL), Vagamoh Sesay has used a laptop computer in court to assert claims that the voter registration card an accused, Musa Sesay carried, was fake. The seven digits ID number when inserted into the commission’s portal system showed that the unique ID number belongs to Fanta Fullah. with a female photo and different information.
The fourth prosecution witness was testifying before Justice Simeon Allieu at the high court No. 5 of the main law court building in Freetown on Tuesday 28th March 2023.
Responding to State Prosecution lawyer, Philratu Hastings Spaine, the witness described the card bearing the name of the accused as “fake ID card” because according to him, voter ID numbers are unique to only one holder.
Before testing the ID number into the commission’s data system, the prosecution witness earlier explained to the court how at the processing of voter registration, there are two different categories. Those with the 2018 voter IDs he said only needed to be verified at the registration centre.
He said those without the 2018 voter ID card have to do the registration process.
He said when the holder goes to the registration centre, ECSL staff only collect the ID card and insert its number into the system, which will show the information of the registrant and that the registration officers will then request for the current contact number and address.
He said the rest of the other information would remain the same because they cannot be changed.
The accused man is charged with three counts ranging from forging voter registration ID card, to making voter registration ID card unlawfully and of being found in possession of the same ID card.
The same prosecution witness described another voter ID card bearing name, photo and other information of an another accused man, Mohamed Kamara as fake because the ID was having six digits numbers.
The prosecution witness said all voter registration cards issued by ECSL have seven digit numbers.
Copyright © 2023 Politico (29/03/23)
