The Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) yesterday made good on its promise to descend on all people linked to election-time corruption allegations, with ruling CCM heavyweight Joseph James Mungai (66) among the first suspects hauled to court.
The former long-serving Member of Parliament and cabinet minister and immediate former Tanzania Football Federation secretary general Frederick Mwakalebela appeared in separate courts in Iringa Region charged with corruption. Both are alleged to have engaged in corrupt activities during the recent nationwide CCM preferential elections.
While Mungai appeared before Iringa resident magistrate court, Mwakalebela was charged in absentia at the Iringa District Magistrates Court.
The former minister and two other persons, Moses Masasi (38) and Fidel Cholela (39), are alleged to have engaged in corrupt activities in Mufindi Districts Ilahimba Ward on July 8. PCCB prosecutor Prisca Mpeka said before Resident Magistrate Mary Senapee that all three faced 15 counts in Criminal Case No. 5 of 2010.
She submitted that Masasi and Cholela alongside Mungai, who was one of the aspirants in the ruling partys preferential elections, bribed voters contrary to section 15 (1)(b) of PCCB Act No.11 of 2007 and Election Expenses Act No. 6 of 2010. Mungai stood charged with giving each of 15 CCM members (prospective voters) allowances ranging between 2,000/- and 20,000/- in an attempt to woo them into voting for him during the polls, she said.
All three accused denied all counts against them and were released after meeting bail conditions. Each was required to make a deposit of 5m/- and present before the court two sureties.
The case was adjourned and will come up for another mention on August 25.
The charges against Mwakalebela, who quit his TFF executive post shortly before the polls, form Criminal Case No. 4 of 2010 and were read out in court in his absence by Magistrate Festo Lwila.
The prosecution submitted that, being an aspirant in the CCM primaries, he sought nomination by giving Mkoga Village chairman Hamis Luhanga a 100,000/- bribe for distribution to 30 CCM members attending a pre-poll meeting at the village leaders residence.
The shady transaction is alleged to have been made on June 2010 at Mkoga in suburban Iringa Municipality. The case was adjourned and will come up for another mention on August 17.
Meanwhile, reports from Tanga say the anti-corruption agency has similarly taken to court four outgoing CCM councillors who were aspiring for election through special seats for allegedly giving bribes to voters during the preferential polls.
Tanga regional PCCB commander Mbengwa Kasomambuto said the councillors appeared before magistrate Liberatus Mbuya of the Tanga Resident Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
The PCCB official said the councillors were accused of giving voters and members of the CCM womens wing (UWT) gifts including drinks and cash amounting to 2,500/- per person.
He named the councillors as including Fatuma Athman Fundi (40), Maweni Ward UWT chairperson Hafsa Abubakhar Othman (49), who was eyeing the Chumbageni ward councillorship, Kurwa Akida Maziwa (50) and Saida Yahya Swaleh alias Ghadafi (44).
He said all four accused violated provisions in the PCCB and the law on election expenses.
He said that all the suspects were released after meeting bail conditions, including a deposit 1m/- each, and the case was adjourned to August 26.
Contacted for comment on these developments yesterday, Director of Public Prosecution Eliezer Feleshi told this paper that his office had not received any files on CCM aspirants held by PCCB on corruption allegations.
All I know for the time being is that it (PCCB) is still investigating all those held in relation to alleged involvement in corruption during the nominations, before it decides whether to proceed with court action, he said.
