Twenty nine-year-old Jariatu Kamara, with voter ID card number 122912206, was arrested on elections day at the Saint James Primary School polling centre for alleged election malpractice.
According to the officer for political matters in the eastern region, detective sergeant 3973 Alimamy Shebura Conton, the accused was brought to the station accused of attempting to vote on a voter ID card bearing the same voter ID number in the register but bearing a different name Jariatu Turay.
According to investigations the accused and her husband, Lansana Kamara, applied for ARC’s micro loan under the name Tarmasu brothers.
But when they realized that ARC would not give loan to the same family and that those who want a loan should present an ID, Jariatu then went home and tore open her voter ID card bearing her husband’s name Kamara. She then forged the name to Jariatu Turay and laminated it.
They succeeded in getting a loan of two million six hundred thousand Leones for their group.
On elections day, she just took her voter ID card bearing Jariatu Turay without changing it back to Jariatu Kamara which was the original name on the ID.
Upon presenting it for voting, the polling agent realized that her card bore the same numbers in the register but a different name.
She was then arrested and handed over to the police for investigation.
This was the only election matter that was reported to the police during elections day, said the sergeant.