BoT board of directors: Treasury PS to be purged?

[BAK]

Ndullu also must go. He was there as a deputy governor throughout BoT scandals namely EPA, dubious payments to fisadi Mkono, overstated cost of buulding twin towers etc.

BoT board of directors: Treasury PS to be purged?

THISDAY REPORTER
Dar es Salaam

SPECULATION is growing within government circles that the longest-serving member of the Bank of Tanzania (BoT)’s board of directors, Gray Mgonja, is to soon be removed from this position despite being the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs.

According to THISDAY’s sources, the impending removal will be based on President Jakaya Kikwete’s recent remark that some BoT board members appear to have been around throughout the latest spate of scandals involving the central bank.

The president, who made the observation during his marathon address to the National Assembly in Dodoma last week, did not mention any particular names but it is an open fact that the current make-up of the BoT board of directors includes a compulsory seat for the incumbent Treasury PS.

Moreover, while it is also understood that all permanent secretaries are presidential nominees, Mgonja currently stands out as the only PS retained by the fourth phase government in exactly the same portfolio as he held under the third phase government administration.

Apart from president Kikwete’s summary dismissal of incumbent BoT governor Daudi Ballali and appointment of Prof. Benno Ndulu as his successor, one of the major fall-outs of the highly-traumatic external payments arrears (EPA) account scandal earlier this year was the dissolution and re-constitution of the central bank’s tainted board of directors.

But although this exercise saw the replacement of most of the previous board members, there were a number of survivors � the most notable being Mgonja, by virtue of his position as Treasury PS.

Going by president Kikwete’s remarks on the EPA scandal last week, the general impression within certain government circles is that Mgonja will soon be taken out of the BoT board, although it remains unclear if he will be shifted from the Treasury portfolio or the rules on BoT board membership changed to remove the ’compulsory’ clause.

To quote the president directly: ’’I can understand the argument about whether some members of the old BoT board should continue being members of the new board by virtue of their positions � especially as the old board was dissolved primarily for proving inefficient. We are working on it.’’

Apart from being a member of the BoT board of directors at the time of the EPA scandal, Mgonja has also been deeply linked to a number of other controversial government deals, including that involving the Meremeta Gold and TANGOLD companies.

He served as PS in the same finance ministry during the third phase administration of ex-president Benjamin Mkapa, building a reputation for himself as one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes forces in virtually all government dealings at the time.

This formidable reputation apparently served him in good stead as the fourth phase government of incumbent president Jakaya Kikwete took over, whereby he was retained in the same key portfolio.

Other members of the previous BoT board of directors who have retained their places on the new board were Deputy Governor Juma Reli; the principal secretary in the Zanzibar Treasury, Khamis Mussa Omar (also by virtue of his position); and Dr Natu Mwamba of the University of Dar es Salaam.

Current BoT governor Prof. Ndulu, who is also board chairman, was also on the previous board as a deputy governor alongside Reli at the time

 

[JokaKuu]

Bubu-ataka-kusema,

..Benno Ndulu hajakaa muda mrefu hapo BOT. actually aliteuliwa na Kikwete akitokea WB.

..Mgonja ni mjumbe wa bodi ya BOT kutokana na wadhifa wake kama Katibu Mkuu wa Hazina.

..Kikwete ana uwezo wa kumhamisha wizara Mgonja na huo ndiyo utakuwa mwisho wake kama mjumbe wa bodi BOT.

NB:

..vyanzo vya uhakika vinaeleza kwamba Gray Mgonja ameazimwa na serikali/hazina toka BOT.

..alianza kama deputy PS hazina akitokea BOT kama Mkurugenzi wa utafiti.

 

[BAK]

Kikwete kamteua kutoka deputy governor na kuwa governor.

http://www.bot-tz.org/AboutBOT/Former_Governors.htm

Inaelekea aliingia BoT kama Naibu gavana mwaka 2007, labda kabla ya hapo ndiyo alikuwa WB. Kwa maoni yangu utendaji wake hauridhishi kabisa hasa katika kufuatilia kashfa mbali mbali ndani ya BoT. Kwa mfano CAG alishasema kwamba fisadi Mkono alilipwa mapesa mengi ambayo hakustahili. Yeye kama Gavana angeweza kuhakikisha Mkono anarudisha pesa ambazo hakustahili haraka sana na kuchelewa kufanya hivyo wangemtoza riba inayotozwa na bank za biashara, lakini badala yake naye kafuata nyayo za boss wake na kuunda tume ya kuchunguza tena kazi ambayo ilishafanywa na CAG na sijui hiyo tume imepewa muda gani wa kukamilisha ripoti hiyo.

 

[JokaKuu]

Bubu-ataka-Kusema,

..Mkapa alipoondoka kulikuwa na Naibu Gavana mmoja tu BOT.

..Kikwete ndiye aliyekuja na utaratibu wa manaibu gavana watatu. nakumbuka aliwateua Juma Reli,Mkila,na Ndulu, kuwa manaibu gavana.

..Ndulu hawezi kumchukulia hatua Nimrod Mkono kwa kutegemea ripoti ya auditors. anasubiri amri toka IKULU kwa RAISI kuchukua hatua unazopendekeza achukue.

NB:

..lawama zote zinapaswa kuelekezwa kwa Raisi kwa kutowapa ushirikiano watendaji[AG,IGP,DG anti-corruption...] wake.

 

[BAK]

Bubu-ataka-Kusema,

..Mkapa alipoondoka kulikuwa na Naibu Gavana mmoja tu BOT.

..Kikwete ndiye aliyekuja na utaratibu wa manaibu gavana watatu. nakumbuka aliwateua Juma Reli,Mkila,na Ndulu, kuwa manaibu gavana.

..Ndulu hawezi kumchukulia hatua Nimrod Mkono kwa kutegemea ripoti ya auditors. anasubiri amri toka IKULU kwa RAISI kuchukua hatua unazopendekeza achukue.

NB:

..lawama zote zinapaswa kuelekezwa kwa Raisi kwa kutowapa ushirikiano watendaji[AG,IGP,DG anti-corruption...] wake.

Atasubiri amri toka Ikulu ya kumtaka Mkono arudishe mabilioni aliyolipwa kinyemela milele, kamwe amri hiyo haitatolewa labda na Rais mwingine lakini siyo Kikwete.