BAE agrees to immediate payment of Tanzania fine

[Invisible]

BAE systems has agreed to pay immediately the £29.5m fine handed down to it by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in February 2010.

The move follows strong criticism of the delay in making the payment from the UK government's international development committee.

In February 2010, BAE was fined for concealing payments of $12.4m to a marketing adviser in Tanzania in connection with a radar deal in 2002.

The company agreed with the SFO to make the ex-gratia payment to the Tanzanian people. The UK's Department for International Development (DfID) and the Tanzanian government drew up plans on how to spend the money, which was to be invested in education.

Under the plans, the money would be spent on 4.4m school textbooks, 192,000 desks, 1,196 teachers' houses and 2,900 pit latrines. Spending the money on such tangible objects, DfID argued, would make auditing easy and minimise the chance of any corruption allegations.

However, no payment was made by BAE.
In June, the company announced the formation of an advisory board that, it said, would help it distribute the funds more effectively itself.

This proposal was met with outrage by the members of the international development committee. Anas Sarwar, the Labour MP for Glasgow central, accused BAE of trying to turn a punishment into a PR exercise. At a select committee hearing in July, he told BAE's head of government relations, Bob Keen, that BAE must "take the hit now".

He said: "You are not setting up a charity trust, or a personal or a private foundation, or some kind of outward branch for great super-duper positive campaigns that BAE will do to win friends in nice places, and gain influence in nice places – you are paying a fine, a punishment."

The committee urged BAE to honour the original plan and channel the money through DfID to be spent on schools.
In August BAE's chairman, Dick Olver, wrote to Malcolm Bruce MP, the chairman of the committee, announcing BAE's about-turn. "I have now written again to the secretary of state, indicating our readiness to remit a Banker's Draft payable to the Government of Tanzania. We are ready to do that as soon as DFID indicate their agreement," Olver's letter says.

"In taking this action we are mindful of the Committee's unequivocal support for the scheme proposed by the Government of Tanzania and developed by DFID. We have also taken full account of the clear view expressed by the Committee, including your own personal comments, that the company should have no role in the operation of oversight of the scheme proposed by DFID … We are ready to make the payment immediately on receipt of the necessary banking details."

Bruce said: "We're pleased that BAE systems has agreed to pay the money it owes to the people of Tanzania straight away. This is the right decision for the reputation of British business, for BAE systems and for the children of Tanzania and their teachers who will benefit from the additional textbooks, desks, teachers' houses, and other education materials that this payment will go towards."

Source: The Guardian (UK)

 

[EMT]

Today is the happiest day for Membe. Contratulations!

 

[FaizaFoxy]

Kudos JMK and Membe, you stood firm on this, its paying.

I always say "action speaks louder than words".

 

[EMT]

Kudos JMK and Membe, you stood firm on this, its paying.

I always say "action speaks louder than words".

Especially baada ya haya mambo ya wikileaks wiki nzima at least watapata pa kupumulia.

 

[Nicky82]

Ngoja wazilete ziliwe.

 

[Lunyungu]

Especially baada ya haya mambo ya wikileaks wiki nzima at least watapata pa kupumulia.

Mkuu una maanisha mambo ya suti au ?

 

[FIDIVIN]

Under the plans, the money would be spent on 4.4m school textbooks, 192,000 desks, 1,196 teachers' houses and 2,900 pit latrines. Spending the money on such tangible objects, DfID argued, would make auditing easy and minimise the chance of any corruption allegations.


Nawashangaa wanaopongeza viongozi wa TZ. Kwa kazi gani? Hawajatwambia nani alifanya huo ufisadi hapa TZ. Pia ni aibu japo ndo ukweli kuona hatuwezi kutumia vizuri pesa mpaka wao tayari wameshapanga zifanye nini. Zitanunua vitabu, desk, nyumba na kujenga vyoo!
Aibu kwa serikali yetu.

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

Uzuri ni kwamba sote tunajua what will happen. Lakini vile vile utaona kuwa fedha haziji tu hivi hivi DfiD itakuwa na nafasi yake katika kuhakikisha fedha zinatumika kama ilivyokusudiwa. Yawezekana kabisa katika ya fedha zote zinazotolewa nje hizi zitaangaliwa kwa ukaribu zaidi kuliko kitu kingine chochote kwani itakuwa ni aibu kwa Uingereza na hao waliotetea malipo haya wakija kusikia kuwa nusu ya fedha zote zimepotea mikononi mwa wajanja..

You win some, you lose some.. ndio nature ya vita yenyewe ilivyo.

 

[LAT]

Under the plans, the money would be spent on 4.4m school textbooks, 192,000 desks, 1,196 teachers' houses and 2,900 pit latrines. Spending the money on such tangible objects, DfID argued, would make auditing easy and minimise the chance of any corruption allegations.


Nawashangaa wanaopongeza viongozi wa TZ. Kwa kazi gani? Hawajatwambia nani alifanya huo ufisadi hapa TZ. Pia ni aibu japo ndo ukweli kuona hatuwezi kutumia vizuri pesa mpaka wao tayari wameshapanga zifanye nini. Zitanunua vitabu, desk, nyumba na kujenga vyoo!
Aibu kwa serikali yetu.

this is how clever the British government is ... yaani wamepanga matumizi ya hizo fedha na BAE via DfID as a watchdog

 

[lifeofmshaba]

Today is the happiest day for Membe. Contratulations!

mkuu ushindi ni pale watakapo itumia hii pesa kama walivyotuambia, lakini kama itakwenda kwenye miradi
yao ya kampeni basi kazi bado
na mimi nakuambia mkuu usijekuta hii ni kashifa ya miaka ijayo kama kawaida ya magamba, utakuta kuna waliokwisha tengeneza
makampuni ya ujenzi kuitafutana hii hela,
wewe subi utasikia tu kwenye tenda

 

[sem2708]

Hakuna anayestahili kupongezwa zaidi ya serikali na bunge la uingereza,ndio walioibua hoja na kuisimamia wenyewe...Akina membe wamedandia mbele kwa mbele,train ilikuwa isha take off

 

[AshaDii]

mkuu ushindi ni pale watakapo itumia hii pesa kama walivyotuambia, lakini kama itakwenda kwenye miradi
yao ya kampeni basi kazi bado
na mimi nakuambia mkuu usijekuta hii ni kashifa ya miaka ijayo kama kawaida ya magamba, utakuta kuna waliokwisha tengeneza
makampuni ya ujenzi kuitafutana hii hela,
wewe subi utasikia tu kwenye tenda

Macho ya wananchi... Media... Wasomi (wenye interest/wanaharakati) woote yako hapo.... Yaani hapa wakifanya tu Upuuzi wowote ule... Watakua wamechemka mno - na as much as mara nyingi wameprove failure katika maamuzi ya vitu vya msingi; Nina imani saana kua walau hii ni moja ya areas ambayo at least kuna hope kua itatekelezwa ipasavo

 

[Sheba]

BAE systems has agreed to pay immediately the £29.5m fine handed down to it by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) in February 2010. <br />
<br />
The move follows strong criticism of the delay in making the payment from the UK government's international development committee.<br />
<br />
In February 2010, BAE was fined for concealing payments of $12.4m to a marketing adviser in Tanzania in connection with a radar deal in 2002. <br />
<br />
The company agreed with the SFO to make the ex-gratia payment to the Tanzanian people. The UK's Department for International Development (DfID) and the Tanzanian government drew up plans on how to spend the money, which was to be invested in education. <br />
<br />
Under the plans, the money would be spent on 4.4m school textbooks, 192,000 desks, 1,196 teachers' houses and 2,900 pit latrines. Spending the money on such tangible objects, DfID argued, would make auditing easy and minimise the chance of any corruption allegations.<br />
<br />
However, no payment was made by BAE. <br />
In June, the company announced the formation of an advisory board that, it said, would help it distribute the funds more effectively itself.<br />
<br />
This proposal was met with outrage by the members of the international development committee. Anas Sarwar, the Labour MP for Glasgow central, accused BAE of trying to turn a punishment into a PR exercise. At a select committee hearing in July, he told BAE's head of government relations, Bob Keen, that BAE must &quot;take the hit now&quot;. <br />
<br />
He said: &quot;You are not setting up a charity trust, or a personal or a private foundation, or some kind of outward branch for great super-duper positive campaigns that BAE will do to win friends in nice places, and gain influence in nice places – you are paying a fine, a punishment.&quot;<br />
<br />
The committee urged BAE to honour the original plan and channel the money through DfID to be spent on schools.<br />
In August BAE's chairman, Dick Olver, wrote to Malcolm Bruce MP, the chairman of the committee, announcing BAE's about-turn. &quot;I have now written again to the secretary of state, indicating our readiness to remit a Banker's Draft payable to the Government of Tanzania. We are ready to do that as soon as DFID indicate their agreement,&quot; Olver's letter says.<br />
<br />
&quot;In taking this action we are mindful of the Committee's unequivocal support for the scheme proposed by the Government of Tanzania and developed by DFID. We have also taken full account of the clear view expressed by the Committee, including your own personal comments, that the company should have no role in the operation of oversight of the scheme proposed by DFID … We are ready to make the payment immediately on receipt of the necessary banking details.&quot;<br />
<br />
Bruce said: &quot;We're pleased that BAE systems has agreed to pay the money it owes to the people of Tanzania straight away. This is the right decision for the reputation of British business, for BAE systems and for the children of Tanzania and their teachers who will benefit from the additional textbooks, desks, teachers' houses, and other education materials that this payment will go towards.&quot;<br />
<br />
Source: The Guardian (UK)

<br />
<br />

Naam. Nadhani sasa tutakuwa tumefikia mahala pa kukubaliana. Niliwahi kuchangia humu kutetea msimamo wa serikali wakti ambapo baadhi yetu mlikuwa busy kusaliti kwa kuandika email bae kupinga msimamo wa serikali. Nawashukuru sana wana jf kwa changamoto. Ukomavu ni kutofautiana na hatimaye kukubali matokeo. Sasa tuungane kupongeza serikali na timu ya wabunge kwa kazi nzuri waliyofanya. Hakuna aliyeshindwa,tumeshinda wote kama taifa. Nimeona humu baadhi wameanza kubeza eti ooh hio hela zitakiwa,mara zin masharti nk. Ukweli ni kuwa toma mwanzo humu ndani baadhi yetu tulisema kuwa zina utaratibu mahsusi. Kama sisi ni wazalendo kweli kam tunavyojipambanua, basi tuunganishe nguvu kuhakikisha haziliwi na zinatumika kuboresha elimu ili zinufaishe watanzania wengi.

 

[Sheba]

Uzuri ni kwamba sote tunajua what will happen. Lakini vile vile utaona kuwa fedha haziji tu hivi hivi DfiD itakuwa na nafasi yake katika kuhakikisha fedha zinatumika kama ilivyokusudiwa. Yawezekana kabisa katika ya fedha zote zinazotolewa nje hizi zitaangaliwa kwa ukaribu zaidi kuliko kitu kingine chochote kwani itakuwa ni aibu kwa Uingereza na hao waliotetea malipo haya wakija kusikia kuwa nusu ya fedha zote zimepotea mikononi mwa wajanja.. <br />
<br />
You win some, you lose some.. ndio nature ya vita yenyewe ilivyo.

<br />
<br


Mwanakijiji. Sina la kusema. Asante kwa changamoto zako.

 

[AirTanzania]

Kudos JMK and Membe, you stood firm on this, its paying.

I always say "action speaks louder than words".

Afadhali ataweza kujinunuliwa Suti mwenye bila ya Kuhongwa na mwamme wenzake, Watanzania kaeni mkao wakula Kashfa nyingine inakuja. Subirini hizo pesa ziwafikie mikononi mwao ndio mtakapo lia na kutoka Machozi ya Damu

 

[EMT]

Under the plans, the money would be spent on 4.4m school textbooks, 192,000 desks, 1,196 teachers' houses and 2,900 pit latrines. Spending the money on such tangible objects, DfID argued, would make auditing easy and minimise the chance of any corruption allegations.


Nawashangaa wanaopongeza viongozi wa TZ. Kwa kazi gani? Hawajatwambia nani alifanya huo ufisadi hapa TZ. Pia ni aibu japo ndo ukweli kuona hatuwezi kutumia vizuri pesa mpaka wao tayari wameshapanga zifanye nini. Zitanunua vitabu, desk, nyumba na kujenga vyoo!
Aibu kwa serikali yetu.

Hivi vitabu vitakuwa ni vya aina gani. Used or new? Hizi nyumba zitakuwa za aina gani? Udongo, makuti au matofali?

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

Hivi vitabu vitakuwa ni vya aina gani. Used or new? Hizi nyumba zitakuwa za aina gani? Udongo, makuti au matofali?

EMT, hakuna haja ya kuuliza maswali, tusubiri tuone kwani si walisema watajenga shule za kata na zikajengwa; well wamesema watanunua vitabu na kujenga nyumba za walimu.. it doesn't matter zitakuwa za namna gani au za kudumu kiasi gani.. watatimiza "ilivyoandikwa"..

 

[Nsiande]

Congratz Membe for bringing our well earned change

 

[Mzee Mwanakijiji]

Congratz Membe for bringing our well earned change

mmmh... kwa kwa kweli wanastahili pongezi ila sijui ina maana gani? na hii ina maana kwa upande mmoja kuwa hakuna mtu hata mmoja atakayechukuliwa sheria si hela imerudi? Kwa mtindo ule ule wa Kagoda..

 

[OTIS]

Well done Hon Membe!
Much respect!