By Guardian Reporter
26th June 2009
Home Affairs minister Lawrence Masha
Home Affairs minister Lawrence Masha yesterday was put on the spot in the National Assembly over his involvement in a law firm linked to Deep Green Finance, which is among the companies alleged to have facilitated the illegal transfer of 215bn/- from the Bank of Tanzania (BoT).
On the attack line this time was Simanjiro legislator, Christopher Ole Sendeka, who during his contribution to the Prime Ministers Office 2009/10 Budget estimates slammed the government for failure to offer a timely response in addressing high-profile corruption.
The ruling CCM MP charged that Masha and other leaders who played a role in the widely publicised grand corruption scandals in the country should be disciplined by state agents, regardless of their positions in the governance system.
Pointing an accusing finger directly at Masha, the lawmaker said, the minister should help agencies probing the matter in identifying the culprits by using his connections inside the IMMA law firm to shed some light on the alleged transfer of 10bn/- from central bank through Deep Green Finance.
He said the fact that Masha was linked to IMMA, put him in a position to help in probing the illegal transfer of money from the central bank, because the law firm used the services of Deep Green Finance.
Sendeka dismissed suggestions championed by people inside and outside the parliamentary debating chamber that public discussion on grand corruption cases should be stopped and instead people should pick other agenda or talk about other development issues.
Quoting teachings from the holy Prophet Muhammad, the Simanjiro lawmaker said both leaders and members of CCM should fight corruption by actions, words and their hearts.
He told Parliament that the holy Prophet of Islam taught that if one was annoyed or disliked something, he or she should get rid of it by using his own hand, speak out about it or if unable, condemn it through the heart.
As a lawmaker, Sendeka said, he would continue speaking openly of the evils of grand corruption until state authorities address the issues of Kagoda, Deep Green Finance and all pending scams exhaustively.
We shall keep on shouting about Kagoda, Deep Green Finance and other grand corruption cases until the government takes decisive actions to curb the deepening problem, vowed the MP, warning: If the government takes no action, we shall keep on shouting about it as long as we are alive and serve the people as Members of Parliament.
Earlier, Sendeka supported comments by Anne Kilango (Same East, CCM), who early this week vowed in Parliament to keep on fighting alongside fellow lawmakers and other volunteers in the war against grand corruption in the country.
He dismissed assertions that the ruling party was harbouring leaders and members linked to grand corruption scams. CCM is completely against grand corruption and this is clearly stated in its policies and ideology, said Sendeka.
Sources have several times linked Masha to IMMA, whose ventures involving Deep Green Finance has drawn the law firm to the centre of the much debated Meremeta scam.
For over one year now, the opposition camp in the House has been demanding a special audit of Meremeta and the other companies over allegations of the illegal transfers of 215bn/- from the central bank through, Deep Green Finance using accounts operated in the NBC Corporate Branch in Dar es Salaam as well as South Africas NedBank.
The opposition wants the Controller and Auditor General to carry out a professional study on the companies, along the lines applied in auditing BoTs external payment arrears (EPA) account in 2005/06 to check the alleged transfer.
Citing the relationship between IMMA and the defunct Deep Green Finance of South Africa, Minister Masha said his firm provided legal services and was paid for that.
IMMA provides legal services to various clients both local and international. It is unfair to link our firm with any wrongdoing or misconduct on the part of some of our clients, he was quoted saying.
Deep Green Finance was among 22 companies receiving payments from the BoT saga, cited in an audit report on the BoT External Payment Arrears (EPA) account to have received Sh8 billion.
Media reports said company records at Brela, the company registration agency, listed advocate Protace Ishengoma and Stella Ndikimi as Deep Green Finance directors, with Ishengoma being one of the partners at IMMA.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN