Tanzania Govt yet to ask Swiss Assitance track corrupt funds

[BAK]

The Tanzanian government is yet to take up a challenge made by the Swiss Ambassador, Mr Adrian Schlaepfer, over his country's readiness to cooperate with Dar es Salaam in returning any ill-gotten money that may have been stashed by Tanzanians in Swiss banks.

On May 26th 2009, Mr Schlaepfer said his government was ready to cooperate with the Tanzanian government in returning to any illegally acquired money that may have been banked by Tanzanian fugitives in Swiss Banks.

The Swiss ambassador made the pledge at the New Africa Hotel in a speech he made during the official launch of the first ever online corruption tracker website, Your Page Title.

The website which operates under a non-governmental organization, Agenda Participation 2000, is jointly sponsored by the Finnish and Swiss embassies in Dar es Salaam.

The implication of the Swiss ambassador's pledge is that the Tanzanian government will have no excuses once it is required to seek the return to Tanzania of possible illegally acquired money stashed in Swiss banks by those alleged to be involved in the radar corruption scandal.

There have been speculation that the alleged architect in the alleged radar corruption scandal, Mr Shailesh Vithlani, presently reported to be in police custody after being arrested in Switzerland may soon be handed over to the Tanzanian government.

A section of the Tanzanian print media have for months reported allegations to the effect that Mr Vithlani has millions of US dollars stashed away in Swiss Banks.
The same media alleged that before his arrest, Mr Vithlani had been moving from one hotel to another while living in Switzerland.

The Tanzanian government has therefore a challenge to move a step further by providing the Swiss embassy in Dar es Salaam with detailed information on Tanzanian fugitives whose bank accounts may be lying in Swiss banks.

Mr Schlaepfer said his government was also ready to provide legal assistance if requested by Tanzania to speedily obtain information for the prosecution of local officials involved in corruption.

The implication of the Swiss ambassador's pledge is that the Tanzanian government has now the opportunity of exploiting the Swiss government's rich experience in legal matters as far as the prosecution of those involved especially grand corruption is concerned.

Indeed, the Swiss government's readiness to cooperate with the Tanzanian government in dealing with Tanzanian fugitives who may have stashed their ill-gotten money in Swiss banks is the biggest challenge ever presented to Tanzanians.

The hugeness of the challenge lies in the fact that its failure to take the radar scandal case to its logical conclusion cannot in any way be hidden under any excuse as the Swiss government through its Dar es Salaam based embassy has clearly said that it is ready to help in dealing with any evidence that may be lying somewhere in Switzerland.

However, the Swiss ambassador's pledge heavily depends on whether Tanzania is ready to make deliberate move on the case by providing the Swiss embassy in Dar es Salaam with details on the alleged culprits' bank accounts and other related information. The Swiss ambassador's pledge is a major breakaway from the past when the country's banks were known for maintaining secrecy in their clients' bank accounts.

Such conduct on the part of the Swiss banks tended to encourage looters, especially from developing countries to stash their ill-gotten money in Swiss banks.Since then, the Swiss government has not only changed that but is perhaps one of the few countries in the world which have openly discouraged people from other parts of the world from banking their ill-gotten money in their banks.

According to the Swiss ambassador one of the best examples was provided a few years ago when the Nigerian government provided the Swiss government with details on how much money had been looted by the former Nigerian dictator, General Sani Abacha.

Finally, Mr Schlaepfer said 400 million US dollars (over 400 billion shillings) that had been stolen from the Nigerian people was returned to Abuja.

Therefore if the news on the alleged arrest of Mr Vithlani is true coupled with the Swiss ambassador's pledge to cooperate totally with Tanzania government, the ball, as far as the prosecution of the radar corruption scandal is concerned, now lies squarely on the Tanzania government's court.

 

[jmushi1]

Wakienda DC huwa wanawire some money kwenda kucheza kiduku na relatives wao wanaodai ni watanzania wa DC

Halafu kuna mwingine anakuja kusema manesi wakamatwe.

 

[jmushi1]

Mkuu BAK,nadhani hawa wajinga wajinga hawajui kuna kitu inaitwa "paper trail".

Hakuna pahala wataweza kuficha hizo pesa indefinetly wananchi wasiweze kuja kuzifuatilia na kuzirudisha nchini na kuwawajibisha.

Siku ccm ikiondoka madarakani tunaanza upya.Tunajenga nchi upya.Just kama Iraki walivyoondokana na Baath Party.

Wa jela wapelekwe jela,na wa kufilisiwa wafilisiwe.

 

[Steve Dii]

Sijui... lakini hizi nakala nyingine zikitakapaa kila kona na kueleweka basi uasi nchini mwetu ukaribu!

 

[Father of All]

Tanzanian authorities can not commit sutee given that some of implicated personalities are or were or they enabled those in power to be in power. Again, Swisi authorities, to avoid hypocrisy must name names. This will nary only ashame the beasts behind this profligacy but will also enable the media to have the voice and take on them. But with such sketchy info, our venal rulers will get the pretext to keep mum while the melee of destitute citizenry is suffering unnecessarily. I therefore challenge Swiss authorities to come forth openly and clean by naming name regardless who is implicated. Failure to do this whatever they are saying is speculation and better than thou. Or maybe they are trying to settle scores if anything.

 

[BAK]

Mkuu jmushi1 tuombe Mungu iwe hivyo ila inadaiwa kule Dubai (UAE), nchi nyingine za kiarabu, baadhi ya nchi kule carribean na South Africa bado wanaweza kuficha mapesa yao haramu bila bugudha yoyote.

Mkuu BAK,nadhani hawa wajinga wajinga hawajui kuna kitu inaitwa "paper trail".

Hakuna pahala wataweza kuficha hizo pesa indefinetly wananchi wasiweze kuja kuzifuatilia na kuzirudisha nchini na kuwawajibisha.

Siku ccm ikiondoka madarakani tunaanza upya.Tunajenga nchi upya.Just kama Iraki walivyoondokana na Baath Party.

Wa jela wapelekwe jela,na wa kufilisiwa wafilisiwe.

 

[jmushi1]

Mkuu jmushi1 tuombe Mungu iwe hivyo ila inadaiwa kule Dubai (UAE), nchi nyingine za kiarabu, baadhi ya nchi kule carribean na South Africa bado wanaweza kuficha mapesa yao haramu bila bugudha yoyote.

Kama swiss bank watakuja kushirikiana na wazalendo watakaochukua nchi hii. Kama wanavyoelekea kusema kuwa hawajaombwa ushirikiano,basi wakizihamisha baada ya kuondolewa madarakani ama hata kabla, tutajuwa tu,na hakuna pahala salama pa kuficha pesa za wananchi walizokwiba kwa sasa kwenye dunia hii.Hata kama wangekuwa wameziweka kwenye akaunti ambazo si za uswisi zitarudishwa mkuu.Nasikia kuna na wanaozificha dubai sijui na wapi.Paper trail is important.Hata walibya pesa zao nyingi tu wanazirudisha nchini mwao,na bado wanaendelea kufanya hivyo.Kama hakuna accountability mara baada ya changes,then there's no need for it.

 

[wikolo]

Isije kuwa na hizi za Uswis wamekosea tu kuandika kama tulivyoambiwa kwenye zile za rada! Wadanganyika (watanzania) kazi tunayo!

 

[Bulesi]

Wakienda DC huwa wanawire some money kwenda kucheza kiduku na relatives wao wanaodai ni watanzania wa DC

Halafu kuna mwingine anakuja kusema manesi wakamatwe.

Fedha walizotumia kufanya ile kitchen party a.k.a kufungua tawi la magamba Washington D.C. ni fedha zilizotoka hapa hapa na kupelekwa ubalozini kwa shuhuli hiyo; kwani wale wote mashangingi waliohudhulia ni wasafisha kinyesi cha wazungu wazee na mabwana zao wabeba mabox hawana kitu!!