11 May 2006

Fiji printer says all ballot papers accounted for

3:23 pm on 11 May 2006

Fiji's Government Printer says all the ballot papers printed for the current general election are valid and accounted for.

Radio Legend reports that Vilikesa Nareki made the statement after allegations by a political party that excessive ballot papers have been printed.

Mr Nareki says they only printed what they were asked to and nothing extra except to correct mistakes in some earlier papers.

He says police were present all the time in all parts of the building.

Mr Nareki says they followed all procedures, kept records of everything that was printed and the police also kept their records.

The supervisor of elections, Semesa Karavaki, says police records of ballot papers printed tally with the record of papers ordered by the Elections Office.

The director of the Criminal Investigations Department, Jo Rasiga, has confirmed that police have found no evidence of any extra ballot papers.