Mkono reacts to corruption allegations
22 Sep 2007
By Judica Tarimo
The MP for Musoma Rural, Nimrod Mkono, yesterday defended himself against grand corruption allegations levelled against him and several other people, who include government leaders.
Chadema MP, Dr Wilbroad Slaa, had given a list of individuals who were involved in massive graft, among them Nimrod Mkono, whom he said had been paid 8,128,375, 237/- for defending the Bank of Tanzania against a 60bn/- suit lodged by Valambia, who has already passed away.
Asked whether he planned to go to court, Mkono said: `If I go to court, what will this Father (Slaa) pay me?
Even this small newspaper (Mwanahalisi, which gave full details of the Mwembe Yanga meeting), they have got nothing.
They cannot pay me. What I want to say is that what this Father said at the people`s court of Mwembe Yanga were pure lies.`
He added: `The people Slaa addressed at Mwembe Yanga were jobless, why didn`t he go to the university where academics could question his statements?
Why didn`t he call a press conference like this one where he could reply to queries? He went at Mwembe Yanga in order to mudsling the government and myself.`
He said the aim of the opposition parties, which were currently holding public rallies dwelling on graft in government circles, was to seek cheap popularity rather than expose gross embezzlement of public funds.
He said his defending of clients like Ditopile Mzuzuri and Chavda were only part of his professional duty, although a picture was being painted of making him an accomplice of the clients whom he was defending.
`I am quite surprised. My clients, the BoT, are not complaining that they are paying me a lot of money. It is odd that the opposition leaders are taking this issue as an agenda,` a restless Mkono said, as he at times shifted to another seat or stood up and down.
`I am not speaking for the others, but the accusations levelled against me by Slaa in his recent public rallies are baseless,` said Mkono.
Mkono rejected allegations that he was the director of several companies-Liberty Shoes, Azania-Noble, Tanfarm, and Makinyimbo.
`If you go to the Business Registration and Lisensing Authority (BRELA) you will never see my name among directors of those companies.
I am neither a director nor shareholder of those firms. The Opposition`s claims are wrong. They lack facts and thorough research,` said Mkono.
`This is is a great shame for Slaa, who is a respected former Catholic priest. He is telling lies to the public,` said Mkono.
However, the lawyer could not be drawn to diclose the exact amount which his law firm, Mkono and Advocates, had been paid by the Bank of Tanzania.
He said the BoT was required to pay his team of seven lawyers 500 US dollars per hour each for the three laywers working in Dar es Salaam and another 1000 US dollars per hour each to four advocates operating from Ireland and Czechoslovakia.
`On average, I spend 8 hours daily on the case. My client (BOT) is ready to pay the money,` he said.
He said: `If the government is not ready to release money for defending against claims lodged by Valambhia, then the court will order the arrest of BOT Governor Daudi Balali.
Which is the best alternative? Should we leave Balali to be jailed or pay 141.2bn/- to Valambhia`s relatives?` questioned Mkono.
Dismissing fears that the legal fees might eventually outstrip the suit amount, given the fact that the end of the case was nowhere in sight, he said: `It is better that we fight to the end rather than give up, even if it means paying a lot of money.
There is a Kipare saying which states that you can sell a cow to meet legal bills for a case concerning a stolen hen.`
Talking to The Guardian, Dr Slaa decried embezzlement of the `highest order` by members of the ruling party.
`Rather than take us to court, CCM is again using tax-payers money to clarify claims on genuine embezzlement occurrences in public institutions. This is corruption of the highest order,` he said.
CCM Publicity Secretary Aggrey Mwanri has announced a countrywide campaign to counter the allegations.
However, Dr Slaa faulted the planned CCM mission as ill-motivated and nonpractical.
`Since the governemnt is formed by the ruling party, which is well-equipped in terms of an anti-corruption watchdog (PCCB), intellegence units and related organs, we expected that CCM would utilise these organs to investigate the scandals,` said Slaa.
When contacted yesterday, Deputy CCM Publicity Secretary, Aggrey Mwanri said the envisaged CCM public education campaign sought to clarify the embezzlement allegations using the same channels which were utilised by the Opposition.
`If the Opposition went to the wananchi to spread distorted and unfounded allegations, what channel should we use to clarify these issues? CCM is going to the same wananchi to educate them on the truth of the matter,` he said.
On whether CCM planned to send Dr Slaa and others to court, Mwanri declined to comment, but insisted that the opposition parties should submit written evidence to back up their claims.
* SOURCE: Guardian