PAC: Govt interfering with AG work

PAC: Govt interfering with AG work

By Felister Peter

27th October 2011

Cites negotiating teams, politicians as cause of questionable contracts

Committee Chairman John Cheyo

Committee Chairman John Cheyo said some weaknesses have been noted in the AG's office in supervising contract signing, a loophole which has led to the nation entering into questionable contracts such as the one involving Richmond LLC, Tanzania International Container Terminal Services (TICTS) and Radar purchase.

Cheyo said the government has been interfering with the role of the AG through the formation of negotiating teams, while politicians seem to have more power than the AG during negotiations and contract signing.

He explained that according to the country's laws, the AG is the officer responsible for scrutinising all the government contracts and giving legal opinions before they are signed.
He said the law also requires that every agreement signed by the government to have the AG's stamp.

"It is clearly stated by the law that the AG should provide legal advice in every contract…his opinions can only be overruled by the court and that legal measures should be taken against anyone violating the procedure," he noted.

Cheyo said the committee has directed the office of the AG to ensure that it supervises contract signing since it has been empowered by the law.
He also queried why the government was in a hurry to facilitate uranium extraction while knowing the country was not well prepared in terms of laws, policies and experts.

Cheyo said Tanzania is even not sure of the available market for uranium.

"We don't have policy or law on the mineral; we are also not sure of the market after extraction. Why are we rushing into its extraction before having the policy and laws? questioned Cheyo.

In another development the Acting Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Parastatal Organisations Accounts (POAC), Murtaza Mangungu directed the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to immediately meet with the Treasury to review the systems and formation of the Vocational Education Training Authority (VETA).

Mangungu gave the directive when his committee met with VETA officials to discuss among other things, the authority's audit reports conducted by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG) for the fiscal year 2009/2010.

He said CAG's audit noted that there was a tendency by VETA officials to spend funds for payment of allowances without permission from the Treasury.
The report also showed that some of the authority's funds were deposited in personal bank accounts. (Mhhhh!)

"We warned you last year to stop depositing money in personal accounts, yet the situation continues…we don't want to see such mistakes next time," he warned.

He directed the board to make sure that it employs qualified auditors for its branches countrywide.
Responding, VETA Board Chairman, Idrisa Mshoro promised to work on all the suggestions given by the CAG.

"We will work on all the recommendations made by the CAG…and we will ensure that such mistakes do not happen again", he promised.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

Kwanini hili linahitaji Mbunge kulionesha?

Hiyo ya veta,warning wakati wanajua no action will be taken? Next year tena same same! This damned gvt interferes with just everything!

I find the reference "the Government" very vague. So who is the government? WHO are the individuals who "constitute the Government".
The role a certain former AG played in subverting the Judgement from the highest court of the land, the court of appeals in the Valambhia case, cannot be IGNORED and DISMISSED as "the government interfered". Its known that the former AG and a certain lawyer for the BoT advised the Government not to obey any court rulings, any judgements concerning the Valambhia case.
The original case was between two business partners, but when the Tanzanian government interfered, one case gave birth to 14 cases.
WHEN Mr. Valambhia's Judgement was sitting on the desk of every Tanzanian Minister, his entitlement was given to his other business partner, who lost the case. (LAW was BROKEN, LOOTING STARTS in 1992)
Today, there is a new AG who insists on continuing a case that has already been final/conclusively determined by the highest court of the land, the court of appeals in 2003. Keep in mind, each day the case is in the court, the billing and invoicing continues at the Bank of Tanzania. MONEY is FLOWING OUT into pockets of certain few TZ officials&friends. The money paid in legal fees by the Bank of Tanzania is far beyond the decretal amount of the case. GO FIGURE!
A 2009 article on REVEALING the truth about the socalled special project of few TZ officials and friends was suppressed. WHY???
Because, in the words of one senior BoT official "this so called "fictional case is a cash generating machine for few Tanzanian officials and their friends". There is no case, this is a special "project" for them. "No one cares to stop it because its their cash generating machine>"
The Bank of Tanzania paid almost a million dollars for a report on the Valambhia case, but this report never reaches the desk of the current AG. The report, like a kite flying above Tanzania with few TZ officials controlling the string.
The special project of few Tanzania officials and friends, AN INVAlLID CASE, is to use whatever means available to them to continue stealing the entitlement of the late Mr. Valambhia.
There was a time in this country when the courts cried out for JUSTICE, RULE OF LAW to be upheld in the Valambhia issue. However, the former AG chose NOT TO.
In fact, the former AG denied JUSTICE, and this Denying of JUSTICE, STEALING of an individual's lawful, legal right was & IS a cash generating machine for few TZ officials and friends.
Everyday THEY continue this already determined (INVALID) case, it is accumulating unnecessary cost to the TZ taxpayer. AND money flows out of BoT into pockets of project heads, managers.

Absolutely absurd to hear the AG say they have to obey the ruling of a certain ICC court in a certain recent case. WHEN "THEY" have violated and continue to violate, abused and continue to abuse the RULE OF LAW, of their own country in the Valambhia case.