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- May 1, 2007
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Mike Mande
Nairobi
Tanzania has issued an international prohibitory notice stopping the sale and transfer of properties bought by Tanzanian firms and individuals suspected to have obtained money fraudulently from the external payment arrears (EPA) account of the central bank.
The move is a first step towards confiscating properties such as luxury cars and other movable and immovable property bought with the money stolen from the EPA account from 2005 to date.
The notice, which applies to both foreign countries and Tanzania wherever the properties are located, will see the government confiscate the properties after a team of valuers completes the valuation of the properties.
Reliable sources told The EastAfrican in Dar es Salaam last week that properties worth $25 million owned by two suspects, Johnson Lukaza and Beredy Malegesi, in prime locations in Dar es Salaam city are among the assets that have been attached and put under the prohibitory notice preventing their transfer or sale to a third person.
The source said the properties so far named, served the prohibitory notice and attached include Venus Hotel Ltd, Njake Hotel and Tours, Bora Hotels and Apartments Ltd, Bina Resorts Ltd and Changanyikeni Residential Complex Ltd close to the University of Dar es Salaam.
Other properties are Mibale Farm, Karnel International Ltd, which also owns Proin Estate Agents, with extensive holdings in Dar es Salaam.
Said Mwema, Inspector General of Police, told The EastAfrican in Dar es Salaam last week that Tanzania issued the prohibitory notice to prevent the suspects from transferring or selling properties bought outside the country.
Mr Mwema said a team of valuers is now valuing the properties in and outside the country.
"Tanzania is co-operating with other international and foreign security organs to value the properties before the government confiscates them," he said.
The police boss said his office has sought international help including that of Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of the United Kingdom to pursue the fraudsters because the money is believed to have been channelled through overseas banks and offshore companies.
Tanzania last week said it has so far recovered more than $60 million out of $133 million stolen from the Bank of Tanzania's EPA accounts. This is in addition to another $10 million recovered last week.
Gina Roes, press and publicity officer at the Serious Fraud Office, told The EastAfrican from London that working relations with counterparts in other countries are often formalised under a mutual legal assistance treaty.
"This means that authorities in different countries can call on each other's resources and powers to conduct investigations in their own jurisdictions, " she said.
Ms Roes said the SFO assists foreign authorities using the investigative powers conferred upon it under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987.
The Tanzania government has also confiscated the travel documents of the directors of 22 firms pending ongoing investigations into the whereabouts of funds stolen from the EPA account.
The money stolen from the central bank is being returned in a special account specifically opened to receive recovered funds.
Attorney General Johnson Mwanyika Tanzania told The EastAfrican that the special account is receiving between $1 million and 2 million a week.
Mr Mwanyika said the EPA suspects are required to write a cheque, which is then deposited in the account under the supervision of the task force team and other people from security organs.
"We are now liaising with the International Police Organisation (Interpol) to trace the funds as well as purchases made with the money stolen from BoT," Mr Mwanyika sa
Mike Mande
Nairobi
Tanzania has issued an international prohibitory notice stopping the sale and transfer of properties bought by Tanzanian firms and individuals suspected to have obtained money fraudulently from the external payment arrears (EPA) account of the central bank.
The move is a first step towards confiscating properties such as luxury cars and other movable and immovable property bought with the money stolen from the EPA account from 2005 to date.
The notice, which applies to both foreign countries and Tanzania wherever the properties are located, will see the government confiscate the properties after a team of valuers completes the valuation of the properties.
Reliable sources told The EastAfrican in Dar es Salaam last week that properties worth $25 million owned by two suspects, Johnson Lukaza and Beredy Malegesi, in prime locations in Dar es Salaam city are among the assets that have been attached and put under the prohibitory notice preventing their transfer or sale to a third person.
The source said the properties so far named, served the prohibitory notice and attached include Venus Hotel Ltd, Njake Hotel and Tours, Bora Hotels and Apartments Ltd, Bina Resorts Ltd and Changanyikeni Residential Complex Ltd close to the University of Dar es Salaam.
Other properties are Mibale Farm, Karnel International Ltd, which also owns Proin Estate Agents, with extensive holdings in Dar es Salaam.
Said Mwema, Inspector General of Police, told The EastAfrican in Dar es Salaam last week that Tanzania issued the prohibitory notice to prevent the suspects from transferring or selling properties bought outside the country.
Mr Mwema said a team of valuers is now valuing the properties in and outside the country.
"Tanzania is co-operating with other international and foreign security organs to value the properties before the government confiscates them," he said.
The police boss said his office has sought international help including that of Serious Fraud Office (SFO) of the United Kingdom to pursue the fraudsters because the money is believed to have been channelled through overseas banks and offshore companies.
Tanzania last week said it has so far recovered more than $60 million out of $133 million stolen from the Bank of Tanzania's EPA accounts. This is in addition to another $10 million recovered last week.
Gina Roes, press and publicity officer at the Serious Fraud Office, told The EastAfrican from London that working relations with counterparts in other countries are often formalised under a mutual legal assistance treaty.
"This means that authorities in different countries can call on each other's resources and powers to conduct investigations in their own jurisdictions, " she said.
Ms Roes said the SFO assists foreign authorities using the investigative powers conferred upon it under Section 2 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987.
The Tanzania government has also confiscated the travel documents of the directors of 22 firms pending ongoing investigations into the whereabouts of funds stolen from the EPA account.
The money stolen from the central bank is being returned in a special account specifically opened to receive recovered funds.
Attorney General Johnson Mwanyika Tanzania told The EastAfrican that the special account is receiving between $1 million and 2 million a week.
Mr Mwanyika said the EPA suspects are required to write a cheque, which is then deposited in the account under the supervision of the task force team and other people from security organs.
"We are now liaising with the International Police Organisation (Interpol) to trace the funds as well as purchases made with the money stolen from BoT," Mr Mwanyika sa
