AG: Don`t pre-empt JK on EPA
2008-10-28 14:43:04
By Joyce Kisaka
Attorney General Johnson Mwanyika has lashed out at those speculating on the outcome of the External Arrears Payment (EPA) Account implementation report ahead of President Jakaya Kikwete`s revelation of the findings this week.
Mwanyika, who granted an exclusive interview to The Guardian over the weekend, faulted those spreading rumors about the contents of the report before the head of state gives his final word.
``Why should we speculate, when the deadline is just around the corner?`` queried the AG, who said that Kikwete would personally make public the findings of the task force, as he had promised the National Assembly during its budget session.
He said the President gave the EPA culprits until October 31, this year to reimburse the cash or else a wave of arrests and prosecution set for November 1 onwards would follow.
The AG, who heads the presidential task-force that was formed to probe the EPA scam and recover cash swindled from the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) in 2005/06, said the team, when executing its task, had fully observed both the law and relevant ethics, and clarified whatever was enquired about.
``We have remained patient for almost ten months, now only five days are left. Let us finish our job and submit (the report) to our boss,`` said Mwanyika.
Asked to hint on outcome of the probe and how much cash had been recovered, Mwanyika said the President`s intentions were good, but some people had misinterpreted them.
He said the idea was to first recover the money then prosecute those implicated, and not Scot freeing any one.
However, sources close to the team have told The Guardian that the Mwanyika task-force has failed to seize assets belonging to some EPA suspects located in Dubai and Switzerland. They said investment laws of those countries did not allow the seizure of properties.
Countering assertions that there was a hidden agenda on the part of the government in regard to the EPA scam, Finance and Economic Affairs minister Mustafa Mkullo said the President�s promise remained intact.
He said it was the government that first unearthed the scandal at the Central Bank and formed a team to probe deep into the matter.
``We therefore can`t hide the findings,`` he said.
The report on mismanagement of EPA money was originally revealed by Ernst & Young, an audit firm, sometime last year. It showed that a total of 133bn/- from the EPA account was paid dubiously to 22 companies.
According to the findings, some 13 companies were fraudulently paid 90bn/- and nine other companies received 45bn/- without proper documents.
President Kikwete formed a team composed of Attorney General Mwanyika, Inspector General of Police Said Mwema and Director of Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau Edward Hoseah to investigate, recover the money and take legal action against the culprits.
He gave the task force a six-month deadline to complete the assignment beginning January. He also sacked former governor Ballali and directed the BoT Board to sack all officers involved in the scandal.
In August this year, President Kikwete, while addressing Parliament in Dodoma, gave the EPA suspects a two-month grace period to settle their BoT `bill`.
SOURCE: Guardian
