Kito cha aina ya ruby chenye thamani kubwa kuliko vyote vya aina hiyo duniani kinawezekana kuwa kimetokea Tanzania. Ripoti ifuatyo, inaashiria kuwa ruby hiyo inayokadiriwa kufikia thamani ya £11 milioni sawa na Tshs 20. Bilioni, inamilikwa na kampuni moja ya ujenzi Wrekin Construction ya Uingereza.
Transactions za mwisho kuhusu ruby hii zilifanyika mwaka 2007, hivi karibuni tu. La kujiuliza hapa ni kuwa jee Serikali yetu kupitia Wizara ya Madini inafahamu ruby hii ni kweli ipo? Ilitokaje Tanzania? Ililipiwa ushuru stahili? Na Fedha zilizopatikana toka kwenye mauzo zilirudi Tanzania?
Au ni moja ya wizi wa madini unaoendelea wakupora rasilimali za Tanzania? Hebu Wizara ya Madini iangalie data zake kama ruby hii imo katika kumbukumbu zake!!
Repoti husika
Mystery of a bankrupt British firm with Tanzanian ruby worth cool 20 billion /-ThisDay,
Monday 16th March 2009
THISDAY REPORTER & AGENCIES – Dar es Salaam
A BRITISH construction company that recently went into administration with the loss of more than 400 jobs has declared a ruby from Tanzania, worth an estimated 11 million pounds sterling (appx. 20bln/-) as one of its assets.
Wrekin Construction was due £2m from UK government contracts, but owed more than £3.5m in VAT and other tax bills when it collapsed last week, according to administrators Ernst & Young.
Media reports from London say it now appears the company listed the purchase of the precious stone, the ‘Gem of Tanzania' in its 2007 accounts.
A note in the firm's account books said Wrekin bought the ruby from Tamar Group for a ‘fair value' of £11m. paid in interest-bearing preference shares.
However, investigators are believed to be struggling to find anyone who has actually seen the gem.
Wrekin joint Managing Director, Peter Greenwood, said the ruby is locked away in a safe deposit box, although he added that he has never seen it himself.
Ernst & Young said it was "too early to comment" on the unusual asset, or on reports that the gem revived the company's flagging balance sheet when it was bought. Jewellery experts have poured scorn on reports that the collapsed building firm is the owner of a ruby worth £11 million.
Company documents claim the ‘fair value' of the ruby was assessed by the institute of Gemmological in Italy on August 31, 2007.
However, Loridana Prosperi, one of the institute's senior gemmologists in Milan, said "That is impossible, because we were on holiday on August 31,2007." And she claimed her company never assessed the price of gemstones, only the quality.
Auction house Christies also expressed doubt about the accuracy of Wrekin Construction's claims, revealing the highest recorded price ever paid for a ruby on the open market was just £2.6 million in 2006.
According to Ms Prosperi, an £11 million ruby would be equivalent to world's famous Black Prince, a jewel the size of a chicken egg which is embedded in the British Queen's crown.
Wrekin Construction went into administration earlier last week with multi-million pound debts.
Jonathan Guthire, enterprise editor at the Financial Times said the firm's 80 creditors were demanding answers about the details of the ruby contained in the Wrekin's 2007 accounts.
The gemstone is said to have been bought by Wrekin Construction from its parent company Tamar Group in return for the issue of 11 million shares, worth £1 each.
Tamar Group Chairman David Unwin was confronted by reporters yesterday, but declined to comment.
Transactions za mwisho kuhusu ruby hii zilifanyika mwaka 2007, hivi karibuni tu. La kujiuliza hapa ni kuwa jee Serikali yetu kupitia Wizara ya Madini inafahamu ruby hii ni kweli ipo? Ilitokaje Tanzania? Ililipiwa ushuru stahili? Na Fedha zilizopatikana toka kwenye mauzo zilirudi Tanzania?
Au ni moja ya wizi wa madini unaoendelea wakupora rasilimali za Tanzania? Hebu Wizara ya Madini iangalie data zake kama ruby hii imo katika kumbukumbu zake!!
Repoti husika
Mystery of a bankrupt British firm with Tanzanian ruby worth cool 20 billion /-ThisDay,
Monday 16th March 2009
THISDAY REPORTER & AGENCIES – Dar es Salaam
A BRITISH construction company that recently went into administration with the loss of more than 400 jobs has declared a ruby from Tanzania, worth an estimated 11 million pounds sterling (appx. 20bln/-) as one of its assets.
Wrekin Construction was due £2m from UK government contracts, but owed more than £3.5m in VAT and other tax bills when it collapsed last week, according to administrators Ernst & Young.
Media reports from London say it now appears the company listed the purchase of the precious stone, the ‘Gem of Tanzania' in its 2007 accounts.
A note in the firm's account books said Wrekin bought the ruby from Tamar Group for a ‘fair value' of £11m. paid in interest-bearing preference shares.
However, investigators are believed to be struggling to find anyone who has actually seen the gem.
Wrekin joint Managing Director, Peter Greenwood, said the ruby is locked away in a safe deposit box, although he added that he has never seen it himself.
Ernst & Young said it was "too early to comment" on the unusual asset, or on reports that the gem revived the company's flagging balance sheet when it was bought. Jewellery experts have poured scorn on reports that the collapsed building firm is the owner of a ruby worth £11 million.
Company documents claim the ‘fair value' of the ruby was assessed by the institute of Gemmological in Italy on August 31, 2007.
However, Loridana Prosperi, one of the institute's senior gemmologists in Milan, said "That is impossible, because we were on holiday on August 31,2007." And she claimed her company never assessed the price of gemstones, only the quality.
Auction house Christies also expressed doubt about the accuracy of Wrekin Construction's claims, revealing the highest recorded price ever paid for a ruby on the open market was just £2.6 million in 2006.
According to Ms Prosperi, an £11 million ruby would be equivalent to world's famous Black Prince, a jewel the size of a chicken egg which is embedded in the British Queen's crown.
Wrekin Construction went into administration earlier last week with multi-million pound debts.
Jonathan Guthire, enterprise editor at the Financial Times said the firm's 80 creditors were demanding answers about the details of the ruby contained in the Wrekin's 2007 accounts.
The gemstone is said to have been bought by Wrekin Construction from its parent company Tamar Group in return for the issue of 11 million shares, worth £1 each.
Tamar Group Chairman David Unwin was confronted by reporters yesterday, but declined to comment.