Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo capital Kinshasa have arrested four people, including three police offices, in connection with the manufacturing and issuance of fake voters cards.
The police launched an investigation into the matter that was recently brought to the attention of the Independent Electoral Commission (CENI).
On Tuesday, CENI announced in a statement that among those arrested included a named Papy Niati Mpolo who is a former electoral agent of the commission.
Mpolo’s accomplices included three police officers by the names of Brigadier Nzuzi Kinzunga Djoly, Séraphin Muanda Muangala and Gloire Mbala Luyeye.
“The modus operandi of these individuals is as follows: the three police officers named above, arrested at the same time as Mr. Papy Niati Mpolo, acted as intermediaries responsible for finding applicants for new voter cards or duplicates” the statement by CENI reads.
“Once arrived on site to either request a duplicate voter card or from people not enrolled during the operation to identify and enroll voters wishing to obtain one, the aforementioned police officers took charge of the requester’s request. Of the sums of money demanded from their victims, Papy Niati Mpolo, the mastermind of the gang, received 10,000 FC,” explains the CENI communications unit.
Meanwhile, Mpolo has also been identified by members of the public as a close ally of the ruling Sacred Union party who had been assigned to manufacture the fake voters cards as part of an election rigging scheme.
