Revealed: Jailed BoT official who holds key to EPA secrets
THIS DAY
A FORMER senior Bank of Tanzania (BoT) official, Imani David Mwakosya, who is among just two accused persons still being held in remand prison in the ongoing External Payment Arrears (EPA) account trials, is reported to hold valuable secrets behind the scandal.
Mwakosya was the head of Bilateral and Commercial Debt (BCD) at the BoT during the 133bn/- EPA scandal in 2005/06, but is now reported to be in increasingly failing health.
The BoT official along with another accused person, Farijala Hussein, are the only persons still being held in remand prison out of a total of 20 suspects facing criminal charges in the high-profile EPA cases before the Kisutu Resident Magistrates Court in Dar es Salaam.
The report of the special audit on the EPA account by the international audit firm, Ernst & Young, identified Mwakosya as the person primarily responsible for EPA account administration.
According to the auditors report, the former senior central bank official even drafted the BoTs operations procedures manual.
Mwakosyas former boss, Ms Esther Komu, who was the deputy director of the BoT debt department (DDDD), which falls under the directorate of economic policy, is among the 18 EPA accused persons thus far released on bail.
Two former acting company secretaries (lawyers) of the BoT, Bosco Ndimbo Kimola and Sophia Joseph Lalika, have also been granted bail.
This guy (Mwakosya) holds valuable secrets ... he was the one in charge of running the EPA account, so he knows who was paid exactly what, said an official familiar with the EPA investigation.
He added: I find it a bit strange that Mwakosya is still in remand prison while almost everyone else has been granted bail. I fear for his safety, since his health also appears to be rapidly deteriorating.
Reports had it that the accused person has also been suffering from possible memory loss.
Court officials say Mwakosyas lawyers were still working on meeting bail conditions to ensure their client is released on bail next week.
Meanwhile, Rajabu Maranda, a businessman and Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) leader from Kigoma Region, was yesterday released on bail by the Kisutu court.
Maranda, who is jointly charged with Farijala Hussein in connection with alleged conspiracy, fraud and theft of over 1.8bn/- from the EPA account was granted bail after producing a title deed for property valued at 450m/-.
The other 18 EPA suspects who have so far been released on bail are business tycoons Jeetu Patel and Johnson Lukaza.
Others are Mwesigwa Lukaza, Devendra Vinodbhai Patel, Amit Nandy, Ketan Chohan, Japhet Lema, Ajay Suryakant Somani, Jai Chhotalal Somani, Bahati Mahenge, Manase Mwakale, Davis Kamungu, Godfrey Mosha and Eddah Mwakale.