Utapeli wa CIS: Serikali ya Tanzania yaanza kuajiri kampuni binafsi ili kukusanya madeni ya wadai 916 ikiwemo wafanyabiashara

Tens of billions swindled in new EPA-style scandal

The situation is tragic. I have with me here a report that shows the money might not be wholly recovered, Mr Zitto Kabwe, chairman of PAC.

By Elisha Magolanga

In Summary
In the unprecedented scam, billions of shillings were dished out to help the economy; some firms collected the money and disappeared

23 Bn Sum in Japanese yen provided by Japan to be loaned to companies for importation of various products

Dar es Salaam. Hopes of collecting money released through the Commodity Import (CIS) Support programme have been dashed following details that emerged yesterday, showing that some of the companies which accessed the Sh379 billion through the aid plan were fake entities, while others have gone bankrupt.

It is one of the embezzlement scandals of the decade which introduced public funds to grand corruption schemes that had not been experienced before: billions of shillings were dished out to help the economy; some firms collected the money and disappeared.

Some development partners teamed up with the government to facilitate the importation of key commodities in the country about ten years ago to ease, among other things, food shortages.

The government of Japan provided a grant of 23 billion yen to be loaned to companies for importation of various products. It was agreed that once the money is recovered, it would be used to develop small firms and local entrepreneurs.

But according to reports from the Treasury, only some Sh142 billion has been recovered but the fate of the rest of the money is unknown because some of the companies, it has emerged, were fake.

Officials from the Treasury yesterday appeared before the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to give the progress so far made in recovering the debt cash and painted the gloomy picture. PAC was told that about Sh237 billion is yet to be collected by Msolopa Investment Limited, the debt collector appointed by the government.

About 900 companies lined up for the funds. It could not be immediately established yesterday how many of those were fake and how many have gone under.

The situation is tragic. I have with me here a report that shows the money might not be wholly recovered, Mr Zitto Kabwe, chairman of PAC, said yesterday.

Mr Kabwe, who is also the deputy leader of Official Opposition in Parliament and MP for Kigoma North (Chadema), expressed concern that the Control and Auditor General (CAG) has never audited the Commodity Import Support project.

To get to the bottom of the problem, the PAC resolved to consult the Parliament leadership to see the possibility of forming a special team to investigate the CIS project.

We have decided to consult the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Thomas Kashilila, to look into the possibility and modalities of forming a parliamentary task force to probe the whole thingthe team would draw members from the Police Force, Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau, Treasury, and PAC, Mr Kabwe told reporters yesterday.

The acting commissioner of External Finance in the ministry of Finance, Mr Samuel Maro, said the import support debt has lasted more than 10 years due to the confusion brought about by the fact that some of the government institutions that accessed some of the funds were privatised and others were wound up.

He noted that his office has already requested the liquidation certificates from Business Registrations & Licensing Agency (Brela), for verifying the veracity of the companies that went bankrupt in order to cancel the debt.

CIS was a form of aid used by foreign donors starting from the early 1980s to help foreign currency-strapped African countries import key commodities for public consumption. Many African countries benefited from this programme from various bilateral donors, but in Tanzania the project was mismanaged with billions of money unaccounted for to date.

Entities that accessed the money included government ministries, parastatals and several government agencies as well as private firms.

THE CITIZEN: Posted Monday, August 19 , 2013 at 21:22
 
BAK kwani hii si EPA type nyingine tuu
Nchi hii ni majangaa kuanzia kila kona
 
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Reactions: BAK
Poleni,,undeni tume tena ya uchunguzi kisha baada ya miaka 5 muangalie gharama za tume zote zilizoanzishwa,na kazi kama zilikuwa productive.
 
Tunafukua makaburi Hadi tutakapofikia la MV Dar na Nyumba za Serikali
 
Why the names should be published in 2 months times and not tomorrow? 😕 What are they waiting for? In my opinion this is another usanii by JK and his government.
Si ndio tumemmiss?
 
Mheshimiwa ndugu dokta balozi haya malizia.
 
Ilikuwa Serikali dhaifu enhee?
 
Kwasasa limekuwa GAZETI la kutetea UFISADI na MAFISADI.

Ufukuwaji wa Makaburi alijamuacha mtu salama.
 
Alikuja kutetewa na ZITTO,LEMA NA CDM yote kwa ujumla.
 
Kwa lipi Mkuu!? Labda udhalimu na dhuluma na mauaji mengi kama yalivyo sasa pia kutokuwa na tabia ya kufoka foka, kuwatisha Watanzania, na kupandikiza mbegu za chuki miongoni jamii kama ilivyo hadi Watanzania kuishi kwa hofu na taharuki kubwa kwa mara ya kwanza tangu Tanganyika ipate uhuru miaka 57 iliyopita.

Si ndio tumemmiss?
 
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