Monday 9 July 2012

Jega faces contempt charge on ballot box rights


INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega
Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Jega, risks imprisonment by a Federal High Court in Abuja over the July 14 governorship election in Edo State.
Bedding Holdings Limited, the transparent ballot box patent rights owner, has initiated contempt proceedings against Jega before the court on the allegation of a plan by INEC to use the product for the election in disobedience to the court’s judgment.
The company had sued INEC and six others claiming that despite its patent rights, the commission used the ballot boxes to conduct the 2011 general without first obtaining its permission.
In its judgment in the matter on June 5, the court, presided by Justice Adamu Bello, held that the firm was the lawful owner of the patent rights for the ballot boxes and declared as illegal the use of the materials for the 2011 general elections without the consent of the plaintiff.
The court, in the judgment, also barred INEC from using the boxes for any subsequent election, including the Edo State gubernatorial poll, without first obtaining the approval of Bedding Holdings Limited.
However, following indications that INEC is planning to use the same ballot boxes for the Edo State election, the court has issued ‘Form 48: Notice of Consequences of Disobedience of Court Order’ against INEC, Jega and the Registrar of Patent, Federal Ministry of Commerce and Trade.
The notice dated July 5, 2012, obtained by our correspondent on Sunday read in part, “Take notice that unless you obey the directives contained in this Order, you will be guilty of contempt of Court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”
The company had approached the court claiming that it had subsisting exclusive and bona fide patent rights for the collapsible transparent boxes used by INEC for the conduct of the 2011 polls.
The plaintiff contended that the collapsible transparent ballot box was one of its innovations, over which an exclusive patent right was issued to it by the Registrar of Patents in the Federal Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
The patent rights has since been renewed twice, and is due to expire in 2013.
The plaintiff claimed that INEC violated its patent rights by failing to obtain its permission before awarding the contract for the procurement of the ballot boxes used for the 2011 general elections.

PUNCH NEWSPAPER

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