BAK
JF-Expert Member
- Feb 11, 2007
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EDITORIAL: The clout of national security
EDITOR
DAR ES SALAAM
LATELY Tanzania is witnessing Parliaments blossoming new democracy where parliamentarians, irrespective of their party affiliations, come forward to analyse issues, make well researched proposals and castigate attempts to cover up corruption.
In the ongoing budget session, for instance, the lively debate on how the government handled Meremeta and TANGOLD scams, and notably, the attempt by Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda to close the debate on the matter under the clout of national security and the legislators refusal to the Premiers appeal is truly a manifestation of a mature parliament.
We have noted with great satisfaction how Zitto Kabwe (CHADEMA) took the bull by its horns when he said: Meremeta is outright theft�.it has nothing to do with military or national security issues.
Zitto who is also the chairman of the parliamentary public corporation accounts committee, and a member of Judge Mark Bomanis mining sector review committee, said the Meremeta gold company was a scam used to pilfer billions of money from public coffers.
Meremeta which did a stint at gold mining in Mara Region before it wound up in bankruptcy and its assets and liabilities taken over by an offshore registered public company TANGOLD, which had five civil servants as its directors, their number has since declined to one because of deaths and resignations.
Despite government claims that the two companies were public; and despite getting a lot of funds from public coffers, none of the two companies accounts have ever been audited. Nevertheless, Meremeta can no longer be audited, because it is bankrupt!
Startling recent revelations have shown that one of TANGOLD directors, a former minister had a lot of shillings in the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) held in the account of TANGOLD, to which he is signatory!
We have every reason to say PM Pinda did not get sufficient and correct briefing on Meremeta and TANGOLD, before coming public on the matter. We are saying so because, if he had been well informed he would never have gone the length he went in defence of the two companies. For available documents show that, the directors of TANGOLD could transfer their shares to their children, relatives and spouses!
More importantly, if the activities of the two companies involved military and national security, how come, that the government allowed Judge Bomanis mineral review team, which included civilians to get access to all documents on the two companies?
We feel the government is yet to come out clean on this matter. We seriously believe that security agencies need to intensify their net to catch all suspects who plundered public funds in the name of �military and national security.
Let the government sit aside and allow unfettered investigations into the scam to allow justice to take its course. The fate of the plunderers of state funds and property is sealed, and there is no going back.
EDITOR
DAR ES SALAAM
LATELY Tanzania is witnessing Parliaments blossoming new democracy where parliamentarians, irrespective of their party affiliations, come forward to analyse issues, make well researched proposals and castigate attempts to cover up corruption.
In the ongoing budget session, for instance, the lively debate on how the government handled Meremeta and TANGOLD scams, and notably, the attempt by Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda to close the debate on the matter under the clout of national security and the legislators refusal to the Premiers appeal is truly a manifestation of a mature parliament.
We have noted with great satisfaction how Zitto Kabwe (CHADEMA) took the bull by its horns when he said: Meremeta is outright theft�.it has nothing to do with military or national security issues.
Zitto who is also the chairman of the parliamentary public corporation accounts committee, and a member of Judge Mark Bomanis mining sector review committee, said the Meremeta gold company was a scam used to pilfer billions of money from public coffers.
Meremeta which did a stint at gold mining in Mara Region before it wound up in bankruptcy and its assets and liabilities taken over by an offshore registered public company TANGOLD, which had five civil servants as its directors, their number has since declined to one because of deaths and resignations.
Despite government claims that the two companies were public; and despite getting a lot of funds from public coffers, none of the two companies accounts have ever been audited. Nevertheless, Meremeta can no longer be audited, because it is bankrupt!
Startling recent revelations have shown that one of TANGOLD directors, a former minister had a lot of shillings in the National Bank of Commerce (NBC) held in the account of TANGOLD, to which he is signatory!
We have every reason to say PM Pinda did not get sufficient and correct briefing on Meremeta and TANGOLD, before coming public on the matter. We are saying so because, if he had been well informed he would never have gone the length he went in defence of the two companies. For available documents show that, the directors of TANGOLD could transfer their shares to their children, relatives and spouses!
More importantly, if the activities of the two companies involved military and national security, how come, that the government allowed Judge Bomanis mineral review team, which included civilians to get access to all documents on the two companies?
We feel the government is yet to come out clean on this matter. We seriously believe that security agencies need to intensify their net to catch all suspects who plundered public funds in the name of �military and national security.
Let the government sit aside and allow unfettered investigations into the scam to allow justice to take its course. The fate of the plunderers of state funds and property is sealed, and there is no going back.
