BoT employees in court over loss of 104 billion/-
By Rosemary Mirondo
16th September 2009
Four employees of the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) were yesterday charged in court with economic crime for occasioning the loss of over 104bn/- from public coffers.
They appeared at the Ilala District Court in Dar es Salaam to answer charges of increasing the order of new currency and keeping for themselves the difference, amounting to 104,158,536,146/- on separate occasions.
The accused are the former Director of Banking Simon Eliezer Jengo who now heads another department in the BoT, Deputy Director of Currency department, Kisima Thobias Mkango, Acting Director of the BoT Legal Services Bosco Ndimbo Kimela and Director of Banking, Ally Farjallah Bakari. The case was presided over by Resident Magistrate Samwel Maweda.
State Attorney Ben Lincoln alleged in court that Jengo and Mkango in 2004 in Dar es Salaam, with intent to deceive their principal, computed prior to banknote suppliers offer, prices in the draft addendum of 2004 with reference to the year 2001s main contract prices and sent the same to legal section for review.
On the second count it was alleged that accused Jengo on diverse dates in the year 2005 within the city and region of Dar es Salaam with intent to deceive the principal did request the printing of large amount of banknotes in the draft addendum of 2005 compared to that prepared by the User Department.
On the third count for all accused persons; Jengo, Mkango, Kimela and Bakari, it was alleged that between 2004 and 2007 in the city of Dar es Salaam, the four being employees of BoT failed to discharge their duties in a reasonable manner and unjustifiably prepared an addenda to the main contract of 2001 of higher prices in relation to the printing of banknotes than the main contracts price causing the government to suffer a loss of 104,158,536,146/-.
The accused were not allowed to enter any plea because they were facing charges of economic crimes which according to law were tried at the High Court.
The defence lawyers Mabere Marando and Mpale Mpoki asked the court to dismiss the charges because the same court had no jurisdiction over the matter.
They further told the court that the accused committed the offence while they were employees of BoT and according to section 65 of the Economic Crimes Act they were not supposed to be charged as the offence was committed in the course of their duties.
However the prosecution asked the court to dismiss the defence submission because the filed charges under section 25 have to wait for completion of investigations before transferring the case to the High Court. The court is to give its ruling on the matter on Friday.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
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Maoni yangu;
Kwa hali ilivyo sasa naona kabisa uozo wa nchi unaozungumziwa na Card. Pengo.
Inawezekanaje au ilianzia wapi hadi kufikia Benki Kuu ya nchi kuwa ni kichaka cha wizi badala ya kulinda vyombo vya fedha nchini.
Kwa aina hii ya watu hapo BOT, kweli pesa yetu ktk ma-benki iko salama? Nahisi haya ni matokeo ya kutoajili watu wenye sifa ktk taasisi kama hizi. Wengi wanaingizwa kwa memos then wametumika na wanasiasa mara nyingi kiasi cha kuona uhalali wa kuchota.
Is this a collapsing country?