Source: The National,

FOUR policemen have been taken off election duties in
the National Capital District following allegations that they marked 3,900 ballot papers while travelling in a vehicle for a regional candidate.

NCD metropolitan commander Supt Peter Guinness confirmed taking
the officers off duty.
He said it stemmed from claims by a man that he had driven the policemen around the capital while they
marked the papers.
The claim, in the form of a statement of facts to police, gave the identities of the five officers involved, the serial numbers of the ballot boxes and that an amount of K20,000 was received as payment.
The author of the statement, who claimed to be the driver, stated in part: “I personally drove the vehicle in the company of four uniformed police personnel.”
The policemen marked the ballot papers in favour of (regional candidate) inside the moving vehicle.
“The total number of ballot papers marked was 3,900. The ballot box bears the serial number 134074.
“We had two ballot boxes within our vicinity.
“I was instructed to take care of the ballot box belonging to Morata until 11.45pm when I was instructed to drop them off at the PNGIPA Hall at Waigani.
“The Morata box had the serial number 194784.”
Guinness told National Broadcasting Com­-
mission’s Current Affairs programme that he considered the allegations serious enough to have taken the officers concerned off election duties pending investigation.
“They will not be part of the elections,” he added.
“I have taken them off election duties and they will not go anywhere near any counting pla­ces.”
The author of the statement indicated that police called colleagues manning the entrance to the PNGIPA Hall before arrival and proceeded inside without any hassle.
“Everything was pre-planned. It took us less than 20 seconds to leave the marked ballot papers in the container.”
He claimed he received K5,000 out of K20,000 for his troubles.

Whether true or not, the statement had incensed both regional and open candidates and forced the hand of the metropolitan commander to discipline his men.
Eight regional candidates, three Moresby Northeast candidates, four Moresby Northwest candidates and a Moresby South candidate had signed a petition to Electoral Commissioner Andrew Trawen demanding that certain actions be taken.
The petition read in part: “We now call on the electoral commissioner to immediately act on our petition which is still to be responded.

“We demand electronic counting for transparency and integrity of the counting process; demand that counting be conducted only du­ring the day if electronic counting is not consi­dered; distribution of ballot papers be undertaken by at least three people to provide transparency; security personnel be kept outside the counting centres; and regional ballot papers were counted in the respective open electorates.”