Vodacom Tanzania MD Rene Meza resigns over $350 million scandal

[PROSEKYUTA]

• Tenders resignation letter this morning
• Feared he may flee the country to avoid prosecution
• Sources reveal how Vodacom Tanzania MD met more than 10 times with Tanil Somaiya, Rostam Aziz to negotiate $5 million kickback
• Vodacom corporate affairs chief issues cover-up statement that back-fires

DAR ES SALAAM

VODACOM Tanzania's Managing Director, Rene Meza, has resigned over the $350 million (over 675 billion shillings) scandal involving the sale of pirate mobile phone vouchers to Tanzanians.

Sources inside Vodacom South Africa headquarters in Johannesburg and Vodacom Tanzania in Dar es Salaam confirmed that Meza tendered his resignation earlier today.

"I can confirm that Mr. Rene Meza resigned as Vodacom Tanzania MD effectively from this morning," an official close to the mobile phone company confirmed.

"Vodacom executives are currently holding crisis meetings to issue a public statement on Meza's exit."

Insiders say Meza has been under fire from the company's top executives for his role in the scandal where he is known to have received a $5 million bribe from the owner of Shivacom Group, Tanil Somaiya, to keep quiet about the fraud.

It has now been revealed that Meza secretly met at least 10 times with Somaiya and Rostam Aziz, a Vodacom Tanzania shareholder, to negotiate the bribe.

"It is feared that Mr Meza could flee the country after his resignation to avoid criminal prosecution over the matter," said another insider.

"Rostam and Tanil would also favour Meza's exit from the country because they can use him as a scapegoat and thwart any criminal investigation against them."


VODACOM'S COVER-UP ATTEMPT BACK-FIRES

As noted by a section of the Tanzanian media, Vodacom Tanzania issued a carefully-worded statement on 30 April 2015 denying the scandal.

However, the statement signed by Vodacom Tanzania's chief corporate affairs officer, Georgia Mutagahya, has spectacularly back-fired after the company unsuccessfully tried to play down the massive scandal.

In her statement, Ms. Mutagahya claimed the allegations of fraud and bribery against the company were "grossly inflated."

She also claimed that there was neither fraud nor a "multi-million dollar loss" suffered as a result of the scandal.

However, a Vodacom Tanzania letter dated 11 July 2012 to Shivacom Group terminating the contract (see below) clearly states that there was massive fraud in the printing, distribution and sale of pirate recharge vouchers by Shivacom.

The letter signed by Vodacom Tanzania's chief legal officer to Mr Tanil Somaiya, owner of Shivacom Group, also said Vodacom suffered huge financial losses from the fraud.

"It has been established that you have been fraudulently, and in total breach of the contract, producing duplicate pirate electronic recharge vouchers using pin numbers provided by Vodacom," Vodacom Tanzania's chief legal officer, Walarick Nittu, said in the letter to Tanil.

He added that Shivacom's acts of breach have caused "enormous business losses" to Vodacom Tanzania.

Meza and Ms. Mutagahya's cover-up attempt (pictured together above) has since failed to defuse the situation.

The Parliamentary Finance and Economic Affairs Committee has already ordered the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to submit a comprehensive report on how much taxes were evaded from the scandal.

There are also reports that the Tanzania Police Force and the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) could soon launch parallel investigations.

SCANDAL Discussion: UFISADI: $350 million stolen from Tanzanians in Vodacom scandal - JamiiForums

UPDATE: May 11, 2015

 

[iJamii]

Majanga yaani kama nnawaona vile CHADEMA washapata sehemu nyingine ya kutubania CCM

 

[Jenerali Ambamba]

Hii ndiyo Tanzania bwana...hapo kodi ya serikali ilipotea lakini TRA hawakuchukua hatua...Takukuru sijui wapo wapi....polisi hawa tunajua ni chama cha siasa hapa Tanzania....Usalama wa Taifa nao wapo busy kuua wapinzani...

 

[TRUVADA]

Safi sana hawa ndio wawajibikaji sio ku mpaka mashombo wakati samaki wamekula wengine
Safi sana RENE meza

 

[MeinKempf]

 

[duanzi]

Majanga yaani kama nnawaona vile Chadema washapata sehemu nyingine ya kutubania CCM

CCM inahusika nini na vodacom? acha uchizi

 

[Kagalala]

Tusubiri kuambiwa hizo siyo Pesa za Serikali na hakuna kodi iliyopotea.
Hapa kuna mkono Wa Lowassa Family wanaotaka kwenda Magogoni. Kweli Tanzania tuna safari ndefu sana.

 

[Mchuja Nafaka G]

Nakumbuka miaka kadhaa nyuma kulikuwa na maneno ya chini kwa chini kuhusiana na VODACOM kuprint vocha za JERO bila kuingia katika mfumo wa TRA.

Bila shaka zitakuwa hizo, huyo Rene Meza awekwe kizuizini hata baada ya kuacha kazi

 

[Yericko Nyerere]

Ccm inahusika nini na vodacom? acha uchizi

Serikali iliyopo madarakani ambayo ilitakiwa kuzuia wizi huo na upotevu wa kodi ni ya nani kama sio ya CCM?

 

[respect wa boda]

Hayo mabilioni yatafidiwa na sisi walalahoi..

Tangu kugundulika kwa ufisadi huo walianza kwa kupandisha bei za Vifurushi na kukata hela kwenye M-pesa na kwenye muda wa maongezi hata kama hujatumia unakuta pesa au muda wa maongezi umepungua!!!

Hapa kila siku wadau wanalalamika Ujambazi wa Vodacom lakini wenye mamlaka wamekaa kimya kana kwamba hawapo vile. Inashangaza

BACK TANGANYIKA

 

[iJamii]

Ccm inahusika nini na vodacom? acha uchizi

Fuatilia hayo makampuni 3 yaliyopiga hizo $305Millioni wamiliki wake wa hayo makampuni ma 2 ni akina nani ndiyo utaelewa nnachoongelea

 

[Gunst]

Nimegundua hii nchi siyo maskini, akili za viongozi ndio maskini.

 

[Prisoner 46664]

There was no way out of this...he must run faster than he ever did.

 

[Escrowseal1]

Fuatilia hayo makampuni 3 yaliyopiga hizo $305Millioni wamiliki wake wa hayo makampuni ma 2 ni akina nani ndiyo utaelewa nnachoongelea

kwa Kuwa uchizi wa hii serikali unajulikana makampuni mengi hayaji kwa lengo la kufanya na kupata Faida bali kupiga hela

 

[MTK]

Ccm inahusika nini na vodacom? acha uchizi

Usihamaki!!!; kumbe hujui connection kati ya Vodacom na CCM? Juha Kalulu kweli kweli wewe!! huo ndio ukweli mkavu ma bro/Sis!! Dola kwa maana ya serikali inatekeleza sera na ilani ya chama cha mapinduzi; CCM. kwa hiyo vyombo vya dola; Usalama wa Viongozi; PoliCCM, Takukuru, TRA na Oversite commitees za bunge (Wajumbe wengi ni kutoka CCM) nk nk.; ambavyo vilitakiwa kudhibiti uchafu kama huu indirectly ni surbordinate kwa Chama tawala na by extension vinaongozwa kwa kuzingatia sera na ilani ya uchaguzi ya chama tawala CCM; upo hapo?! kwa mantiki hiyo kama CCM ingekuwa makini kusimamia serikali yake kwa maslahi ya Nchi na wananchi wake haya yasingetokea; lau niseme hata kama yangetokea; uchafu kila kona; asubuhi, mchana na jioni! na wahalifu hawachukuliwi hatua yoyote ya maana bali wanabembelezwa na kupewa nishani za utumishi uliotukuka! basi Uovu huo usingekuwa wa kiasi na kiwango tunachokishuhudia nyakati hizi!

Nonetheless; The noose is tightening around the neck of CCM and its inept government! the second liberation is hovering on the horizon. Viva UKAWA; its time to kick out the embezellers, robbers; muggers and poachers to reclaim our national self esteem and sustainable economic development.

 

[Bome-e]

Adui namba moja tz ni ufisadi!

 

[Bome-e]

Ccm inahusika nini na vodacom? acha uchizi

Mfia chama

 

[MTK]

Kama hii habari ni kweli, basi kuna kila sababu ya huyu mdada Georgina Mutagayhwa kujiuzulu haraka sana kutokana na kitendo chake cha kutoa tamko la kilaghai na kuutishia umma usiseme chochote kuhusu sakata hilo! Georgina atakuwa alipata mgao katika hiyo $ 5m!!!!. Gerogina ulikuwa unatetea maslahi ya Rezza; mwajiri wako au Wananchi kwa vitisho vile?!

 

[Swat]

Watanzania kweli Ndoooroooboooo sisi!
Hivi vi mia mia vyetu si bora tununue gazeti tujipepeee!

 

[HEKIMA KWANZA]

Hebu twende taratibu;

1. Tarehe 28 April, 2015,
- Taarifa ya 'wizi' wa kiasi cha US$ 350milioni kupitia vocha za Jero Jero Vodacom unaanikwa kwenye mitandao.
- Wanufaikaji wakuu wanatajwa kuwa ni Shivacom, Alphatel, Planetel pamoja na Mkurugenzi mkuu wa Vodacom (Rene Meza)
- Mkurugenzi wa Vodacom anadaiwa kupokea 'rushwa' au 'kiziba mdogo' kiasi cha US$ 5million

2. Tarehe 30 April, 2015 (siku mbili baada ya mitandao kuanika wizi wa Vodacom)
- Vodacom Tanzania kupitia kwa Chief Corporate Affairs wanton tamko kuwa thamani ya 'wizi' iliyoandikwa kwenye mitandao sio sahihi, lakini mkubwa huyo wa vodacom hakusema kiasi ambacho yeye na ofisi yake wanajua ndicho kilichoibwa!
- Pia kwenye barua ya Vodacom, kampuni inawaonya Watanzania kuacha kuongelea habari hiyo na kusema kuwa yeyote atakefanya hivyo atachukuliwa hatua kali za kisheria.

Tarehe 7 May, 2015, takriban Juma tangu taarifa ya wizi kuanikwa kwenye mitandao, Mkurugenzi mkuu anajiuzulu!

Sasa twende kazi:
1. Kwanini Mkurugenzi Mkuu wa Vodacom Bwana Rene amejizulu? Ametenda kosa, lipi, na lini?
2. Kama kuna kosa kafanya, vyombo vya usalama vina taarifa?
3. Kama Bwana Rene Meza ametenda kosa, alishirikiana na nani? wako wapi hao watu walioshiriana naye?
4. Bwana Rene Meza amepokea pesa au kitu chochote chenye thamani ya US$ 5miilion toka kwa Tanil Somaiya wa Shivacom, (au ndugu/rafiki wa Tanil)? lini na wapi, kwa sababu zipi?
5. Kibogoyo - TAKUKURU- anashindwa hata kunywa huu 'uji' wa Vodacom na Jero Jero za Shivacom, Alphatel na Planetel?
6. Kamati ya Bunge inayohusika na Mawasiliano inasemaje?
7. Mheshimiwa sana Spika wa Bunge, bado mhimili wako unasimamia serikali au mambo yamebadilika?
8. Wale watetezi wa Utawala bora - NGOs mko wapi?
9. TRA bado mko busy na EDF (vimashine vya kodi za waungua jua Kariakoo?
10. IGP unasubiri uletewe 'file' lote liletwe mezani?
11. Bodi ya Wakurenzi wa Vodacom mko wapi? waelezeni Watanzania ni kitu gani kinaendelea Vodacom?

Mwisho, CCM, kwa kuwa nyie ndio mnaounda Serikali, basi mnalojukumu la kuingilia kati haraka huu wizi. Kiasi cha pesa kilichotajwa ni kikubwa sana kuingia kwenye mzunguko wa pesa bila jicho la dola. Serikali hupindiliwa kwa mtindo huu wa kumwaga pesa nje ya mfumo unaodhibitiwa na dola. Okoeni hii nchi, Mwl Nyerere aliicha mikononi mwenu ikiwa salama, sasa ni wajibu wenu kuhakisha inabaki salama, vinginevyo hamna haki ya kuendelea kupewa madaraka hata chembe.