Radar money finally released to Tanzania

[BabuK]

To be used to consolidate primary school education

SFO Director Richard Alderman


Tanzania and Britain have finally agreed on the way to spend the billions of shillings relating to the controversial purchase of radar equipment from UK’s BAE Systems. The money will go into educational projects in Tanzania.
The Memorandum of Understanding between Tanzania, BAE Systems, the UK’s Serious Fraud Office and the Department for International Development (DFID) was signed on Wednesday, enabling the release of £29.5 million (about 75bn/-), plus accrued interest to the Bank of Tanzania.
According to a press statement availed to The Guardian by Press Office SFO the payment follows the settlement between BAE Systems and the SFO.
The money will be used to buy textbooks for all 16,000 primary schools in the country, benefiting 8.3 million children.
It said the emphasis will be placed on the key subjects of Kiswahli, English, Maths and Science.
It said having a textbook alone would not improve the quality of education, adding that the funds will also be used to provide all 175,000 primary school teachers with teachers' guides, syllabi and syllabi guides to help improve their teaching skills.
“Up to £5 million will be spent on the purchase of desks to benefit primary school children living in nine districts where the need for investment in education is considered greatest,” the statement said, adding: “The availability of these materials will support the Government of Tanzania's priority to improve education quality in primary schools.”
According to the statement the procurement process will be rigorously and independently monitored to ensure monies are used solely for the benefit of the Tanzanian people.
The statement said that UK Government has been helping BAE and the Government of Tanzania to determine what the money should be used for and how it will be delivered and monitored to ensure the funds was used effectively.
Commenting on the agreement, the Director of the Serious Fraud Office, Richard Alderman, said: "This agreement is a first for the SFO which piloted it through the UK legal system. It provides a satisfactory outcome for all concerned but most of all for the Tanzanian people and I am personally delighted that SFO staff were able to achieve this".
In December last year Southwark Crown Court fined BAE Systems Plc £500,000 after admitting it had failed to keep adequate accounting records in relation to a defence contract for the supply of an air traffic control system to the Government of Tanzania.
The outcome follows a settlement by BAE as part of a global agreement it reached earlier last year with the Serious Fraud Office and the US Department of Justice concerning contracts in a number of countries.
The settlement with the SFO relates to the Tanzania contract whereby BAE agreed to pay an ex-gratia payment for the benefit of the people of Tanzania of £30 million less any fine imposed by the Crown Court. Additionally, BAE was ordered to pay £225,000 costs to the SFO.
SFO Director Richard Alderman said: "I am delighted that the Judge stressed the seriousness of BAE's actions and that he recognised that the true victims were the people of Tanzania".



SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

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