Police investigating possible forgery at AFRINIC election

Police in Mauritius are conducting a criminal investigation into possible forgery related to the annulled June 2025 board election staged by the African Network Information Centre (AFRINIC). AFRINIC is the regional internet registry (RIR) for 54 countries in Africa and the Indian Ocean region. In recent years it has experienced governance and operational problems and been embroiled in a complex set of interlocking legal disputes with one of its members, Cloud Innovation, regarding AFRINIC's powers to terminate users who do not follow its rules for using IP addresses. The disputes with Cloud Innovation saw AFRINIC unable to convene a board for several years. Courts in Mauritius placed the registry in receivership. The receiver eventually brought the registry into a state that made it possible to stage a board election in June 2025. AFRINIC offered members the chance to vote online, by attending a day of in-person voting in Mauritius, or by appointing a proxy to vote for them at the in-person voting session. During that in-person voting session, the Nomination Committee that oversaw the election became concerned about the voting process and called off the election. AFRINIC's receiver later annulled the vote, which was re-run under different rules later in the year. AFRINIC has never commented on the reasons for the annulment. The Register sought comment from the four UK-based barristers who comprised the Nomination Committee. None were willing to answer our questions. AFRINIC's receiver has also not responded to our request for comment. After the annulment, South Africa's Internet Service Providers' Association (ISPA) made two claims about irregularities at the election: A duly authorised representative of a resource holder attempting to vote, only to be informed that another person had already submitted a vote on their behalf thanks to a Power of Attorney, which that resource holder had not provided to any third party." "A representative of a resource holder, learning that a Power of Attorney had been submitted on their behalf, only to find that that particular Power of Attorney (the existence of which had already been recorded by AFRINIC staff) had been mysteriously removed from the record by the time a copy was requested." Mauritius Police this week confirmed to The Register that it is investigating the matter as a possible forgery case. Two cases related to AFRINIC elections in 2025 are still under investigation at the level of the Central CID of the Mauritius Police Force. Both are alleged Forgery cases," a spokesperson told The Register. Mauritius Police describes its Central Investigation Division, or Central CID, as a specialized unit ... which deals with sensitive cases and cases involving larger public interest. It deals with all the cases of bribery, fraud and homicides." And also internet governance election scandals, it seems. AFRINIC revived, revisiting past controversies The court cases that indirectly led to AFRINIC's annulled election were related to the registry's powers to terminate users who do not follow its rules. Termination means losing the right to continue using IP addresses allocated by AFRINIC. AFRINIC on Tuesday published an update on the community consultation process it has run to determine members' interest in, and attitude to, proposed bylaw changes. One proposed change would see AFRINIC add a specific dispute resolution clause to its constitution. Such a clause could perhaps have avoided the lengthy legal battles that the registry continues to fight, but the organization's Bylaws Review Committee will not recommend adoption of the clause. The Committee also commented on the AFRINIC board's power to terminate a member, and said it is considering various options aimed at further strengthening the existing legal safeguards applicable to the exercise of such power." AFRINIC therefore looks to be trying to strengthen its ability to terminate members, a power that rightly or wrongly has been the source of its many recent travails. The registry also had happier news this week after naming its next CEO: South African lawyer Mike Silber, whose CV includes serving on the board of ICANN and many senior roles at African telcos and tech companies. Silber will take up the position on January 1, 2027, and will clearly have some contentious issues on his desk from day one. (R)