2008-03-04 10:00:42
By Lydia Shekighenda
The government has said it will give the names of all companies and
individuals linked to the much-publicised theft of 133 billion/- from the
Bank of Tanzania`s external payments account (EPA) in 2005 once the
exercise of recovering the money is completed.
Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Mustafa Mkullo told The Guardian
yesterday that the procedures used in recovering the money are not
confidential, adding: ``Everything will be made public once we are
satisfied that we are through with the exercise.``
The minister called for patience and understanding from members of the
public, saying that would allow the government time to continue with its
efforts to get all the money in question back.
``There is no way the Government can hide anything from wananchi because
it is their money. However, we cannot disclose the tactics we are using
because we may end up getting nothing,`` he explained.
According to Mkullo, the team appointed by President Jakaya Kikwete to
probe the scam involving the 133bn/- had opted for that approach in the
belief that it was the best way of recovering the money.
He said the completion of the recovery exercise would be followed by the
publication of all those who had heeded the Government`s call to return
the money, complete with the amount recovered.
``People should not misunderstand what we are doing. We are not needlessly
keeping anything secret. All we are doing is meant to avoid unnecessary
interference and to make sure that the Government gets all the money
back,`` he pointed out.
He revealed that the pace of the (recovery) exercise had progressed well,
with sizeable amounts returned just before his exclusive interview with
this paper in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Last Friday, the Government announced that it had recovered more than
50bn/- but Mkullo flatly declined to give the names of the companies or
individuals that had paid up.
An audit report prepared by Ernst and Young showed that controversial
payments amounting to 133,015,186,220.74/- were dubiously made to 22
Tanzanian firms, some of them phantom ones, from the EPA account.
A total of 90,359,078,804/- out of this was paid to 13 local firms based
on fake and forged documentation, while some of the payees had no
supporting documentation.
The government announcement has generated an avalanche of queries from the
public, with some questioning the rationale of hiding the names of those
behind the scam and the efficiency of the mechanism used in recovering the
money.
The minister`s assurance might help to allay widespread fears that the
government could ultimately just decide to call a news conference and give
vague details on the recovery exercise.
Some prominent lawyers and politicians have expressed unqualified
reservations over the possibility of those proved to be behind the scam
escaping only with the ``minor injury`` of repaying the amounts they owe
the public.
Some have called stiffer additional punishment, including legal action and
ensuring that the amounts recovered are inclusive of cumulative interest.
Asked about the government`s decision to hide the identity of those behind
the 133bn/- theft scandal, which has sent shockwaves throughout Tanzania
and beyond, Legal and Human Rights Centre Director Hellen Kijo-Bisimba
said: ``I wonder where the money they are paying back is coming from in
the first place. Who is returning it and why now?``
Kijo-Bisimba said the government was duty-bound to tell the public whether
the money being returned was part of the 133bn/- stolen or was being given
to the government as a present.
``How can we be sure that the money stolen has actually been returned?
Someone could just tell us that a certain amount has been recovered while
in fact nothing has been returned. We can never prove it, can we?�
she queried.
She said it was of fundamental importance for the government to publish
the names of all those returning the money and tell the public the exact
legal measures to be taken against them after the recovery exercise.
``The government should not keep the issue secret because the public wants
to know precisely what is going on. Let them be open and transparent,``
noted the LHRC head.
Prof Mwesiga Baregu from the University of Dar es Salaam, meanwhile, said
the whole affair was shrouded in mist, suspicion and mystery.
``It is shocking because, as far we are concerned, there is a process that
oversees all activities at the central bank. I don`t think what has
happened abides by the bank`s own regulations,`` he observed.
He added: ``It looks like any amount of money could easily and quietly
disappear from the bank and soon as easily and quietly return. There are a
lot of unanswered questions and the public must be told how much money is
returned and who has returned it.``
The political science guru said the onus was on the government to give to
the public the full details of what was going on instead of maintaining a
semblance of dignified silence.
``It is unacceptable to let things go on the way they are. We deserve
convincing explanation on the matter. They should explain to us why they
are keeping silent and whether, under our laws, that is the only option to
recover money stolen from public coffers,`` said Prof Baregu.
SOURCE: Guardian