The company that won the Government's €50 million contract to supply electronic voting machines, which will have to be upgraded before they can be used, has gone into voluntary liquidation.
Powervote Ireland Ltd has nearly €1.9 million in cash in the bank and €2.6 million worth of assets, according to its latest returns filed in the Companies Office up to September 30th, 2005.
Last night the Department of the Environment insisted the liquidation would not affect its efforts to get the Powervote/ Nedap e-voting machines into use in the State, following the Commission on Electronic Voting's questioning of the security of its software.
In a statement the department said it had been advised by the company last September that it was about to carry out a "technical restructuring" of the Powervote group.
This involved the transfer of all obligations and rights under the contract with the department from Powervote (Ireland) to Powervote Services.
However, the company said in a statement that it had been envisaged "at the outset of the project that on completion of the system supply phases, that Powervote (Ireland) Ltd would be wound up on a solvent basis and that future development and support would be transacted through Powervote Services Ltd".
It said the company went into voluntary liquidation on January 26th last.
The department said that after consulting with the Attorney General's office "and on receipt of a written undertaking that Powervote Services will accept and assume the obligations and liabilities of Powervote (Ireland) under the terms of the relevant contract, the department wrote to Powervote (Ireland) on November 16th, 2006, stating that it had no objection to the proposal on the express condition that this undertaking is fully adhered to. Accordingly, there are no implications for electronic voting in Ireland."
It added that Powervote (Ireland) "has been the company principally involved in providing electronic voting services in Ireland and, therefore, most payments for these services have been made to the company".
The most recent payment was for €3,702, in December last.
Paul McCann of Grant Thornton has been appointed liquidator.
The company statement added: "The rights, liabilities and obligations of Powervote (Ireland) Ltd have been assigned and, as necessary, novated to Powervote Services Ltd."