With one week to go before the general elections, the opposition Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) has accused the governing People's National Party (PNP) of intending "to use illegally obtained official ballots to fraudulently win the election".

The JLP said yesterday it mistakenly received at its party headquarters last Friday 250 ballots to be used in the upcoming general elections.

A release from Opposition leader Edward Seaga said the ballots were among documents mistakenly delivered by the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) to the party's headquarters. According to the release, the "security arrangements for the printing of the ballots at the Electoral Office of Jamaica has allowed ballots to be distributed to unauthorised persons".

Deputy chairman Ryan Peralto told The Gleaner at the party's headquarters yesterday that the ballots were handed over to the party's attorneys, Clinton Hart and Company, who in turn handed them over to the police team investigating the matter, led by Deputy Commissioner of Police, Owen Clunie.

Mr. Clunie confirmed that 250 ballots were handed over to the police by the law firm. "We will be checking with the Electoral Office to determine whether they are the official ballot papers and if so by what means did they leave the Electoral Office, whether by accident or deliberately," he said.

He said the findings of the investigation would be released by the police when it was prudent to do so.

Letter

A release from the Electoral Advisory Committee (EAC) said Mr. Peralto wrote a letter to EAC chairman William Chin See on the matter. Copies of the letter were given to all members of the Committee at the EAC meeting yesterday.

According to Mr. Peralto's letter, five packets of 50 ballots each were discovered on Monday in the boxes which were delivered last Friday. Mr. Peralto said he had been instructed by the party to deal with the matter, "with a view to making alternative security arrangements and the reprinting of new ballots on a different colour security paper".

The EAC said it was "extremely concerned at this apparent breach of security and has instructed that a full audit be carried out immediately. The report is expected tomorrow after which decisions will be taken", the release said.

In his release, Mr. Seaga alleged that the PNP had targeted several seats where the unauthorised ballots would be used.