BabuK
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- Jul 30, 2008
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Minister says they engineered illegal export of wild animals
Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has sacked Obeid Mbangwa the Director of Wildlife and two other officials from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and Photograph Tourism Office in Arusha in connection with the smuggling of live wild animals at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Mbangwa was by then Assistant Director for Wildlife Use while the two officials are Simon Gwera and Frank Mremi both Directors with CITES and Photograph Tourism in Arusha.
Speaking to journalists here yesterday the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Ambassador Khamis Kagasheki said that the officials violated the Civil Servant Act of 2002 in performing their duties and thus engineering illegal export of wild animals.
Ambassador Kagasheki said the government reached the decision after completing the investigation on allegations against them whose results pointed to their direct involvements in the scam.
He said the Ministry has also taken disciplinary action against six other employees within the ministry including demotions and warnings.
According to the Minister, the Director of Wildlife Development Bonaventura Midala who was by then Assistant Director Anti-Poaching Unit in 2010 has been demoted for failure to take appropriate action to prevent the smuggling of the wild animals.
Ambassador Kagasheki said Martha Msemo Licensing Officer with CITES, Hunting and Photograph Tourism in Arusha and Anthonia Anthony, Licensing Officer with CITES, Hunting and Photographs Tourism in Dar es Salaam have been given strong written warnings for implementing directives from their bosses which were contrary to the law.
The Minister said that Silvanus Atete Okudo Head of Tourism Hunting Centre, CITES and Photograph tourism in Arusha has also been given a warning for failure to make a follow up and get directives from wildlife director about his staff who violated the law governing the issuance of license and failure to take the matter to the Permanent Secretary for disciplinary actions.
Minister Kagasheki said his ministry was still investigating two other officials Mohamed Madehele from the Office of Sustainable Use of Wildlife and Mariam Nyallu from Hunting Tourism Centre, CITES AND Photograph Tourism in Arusha.
He however noted that other people involved in the scam will be held accountable by their respective authorities.
Last month Minister Kagasheki said that the government plans to send a team of officials to Qatar, in the United Arab Emirates, to search for the whereabouts of 116 live wild animals and 16 birds alleged to have been smuggled out of the country in November 2010.
The teams mission is to establish where the animals are being kept and propose measures to be taken to ensure they are returned to the country.
This development comes following Tanzanias receipt of a response from the Qatari office of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which confirmed that the said 116 animals and birds were indeed in the Emirate.
The team will include people from the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, the Attorney Generals Chambers and Tanzania Intelligence and Security Services (TISS), noted the minister.
Due to the pressure mounted by the parliamentarians, the then Natural Resources and Tourism minister Ezekiel Maige suspended Wildlife director Obeid Mbangwa to pave way for investigations into the smuggling scam.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has sacked Obeid Mbangwa the Director of Wildlife and two other officials from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and Photograph Tourism Office in Arusha in connection with the smuggling of live wild animals at Kilimanjaro International Airport.
Mbangwa was by then Assistant Director for Wildlife Use while the two officials are Simon Gwera and Frank Mremi both Directors with CITES and Photograph Tourism in Arusha.
Speaking to journalists here yesterday the Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Ambassador Khamis Kagasheki said that the officials violated the Civil Servant Act of 2002 in performing their duties and thus engineering illegal export of wild animals.
Ambassador Kagasheki said the government reached the decision after completing the investigation on allegations against them whose results pointed to their direct involvements in the scam.
He said the Ministry has also taken disciplinary action against six other employees within the ministry including demotions and warnings.
According to the Minister, the Director of Wildlife Development Bonaventura Midala who was by then Assistant Director Anti-Poaching Unit in 2010 has been demoted for failure to take appropriate action to prevent the smuggling of the wild animals.
Ambassador Kagasheki said Martha Msemo Licensing Officer with CITES, Hunting and Photograph Tourism in Arusha and Anthonia Anthony, Licensing Officer with CITES, Hunting and Photographs Tourism in Dar es Salaam have been given strong written warnings for implementing directives from their bosses which were contrary to the law.
The Minister said that Silvanus Atete Okudo Head of Tourism Hunting Centre, CITES and Photograph tourism in Arusha has also been given a warning for failure to make a follow up and get directives from wildlife director about his staff who violated the law governing the issuance of license and failure to take the matter to the Permanent Secretary for disciplinary actions.
Minister Kagasheki said his ministry was still investigating two other officials Mohamed Madehele from the Office of Sustainable Use of Wildlife and Mariam Nyallu from Hunting Tourism Centre, CITES AND Photograph Tourism in Arusha.
He however noted that other people involved in the scam will be held accountable by their respective authorities.
Last month Minister Kagasheki said that the government plans to send a team of officials to Qatar, in the United Arab Emirates, to search for the whereabouts of 116 live wild animals and 16 birds alleged to have been smuggled out of the country in November 2010.
The teams mission is to establish where the animals are being kept and propose measures to be taken to ensure they are returned to the country.
This development comes following Tanzanias receipt of a response from the Qatari office of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) which confirmed that the said 116 animals and birds were indeed in the Emirate.
The team will include people from the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, the Attorney Generals Chambers and Tanzania Intelligence and Security Services (TISS), noted the minister.
Due to the pressure mounted by the parliamentarians, the then Natural Resources and Tourism minister Ezekiel Maige suspended Wildlife director Obeid Mbangwa to pave way for investigations into the smuggling scam.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN
