Why ethics watchdog has yet to act on escrow scam

 

By Mkinga Mkinga,The Citizen Reporter

In Summary

• A top official with the ethics  watchdog says they will wait for the President’s verdict before doing anything on the matter
• PAC recommended last month that Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda and other top government officials take political responsibility and resign over the scandal involving funds that were fraudulently withdrawn from the Bank of Tanzania and shared out.

Dar es Salaam. The Public Leaders Ethics Commission has yet to question senior government officials implicated in the Sh306 billion Tegeta escrow account scandal, The Citizen has learnt.

A top official with the watchdog said they would wait for the President’s verdict before doing anything on the matter.

The Commissioner General of the Ethics Secretariat, Lady Justice (rtd) Salome Kaganda, said acting now would be akin to setting the stage for “double punishment”.

“We are waiting for action of specific mandated offices. It is a protocol matter and we therefore cannot jump  the gun and act before the President gives his verdict on the same people,” she said.

The Ethics Secretariat is an independent department of the government under the President’s Office.
Its main function is to monitor the ethical behaviour and conduct of public leaders.

Public leaders who were adversely mentioned in the report tabled in Parliament by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) include the minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, Prof Anna Tibaijuka, Bariadi West MP Andrew Chenge and Sengerema MP William Ngeleja.

Mr Chenge and Mr Ngeleja chair Parliament’s Budget and Justice committees, respectively.

PAC has recommended that Prof Tibaijuka be sacked and Mr Chenge and Mr Ngeleja be relieved of their parliamentary duties.

The committee said Prof Tibaijuka and Mr Chenge each received Sh1.6 billion from a local businessman involved in the movement of the Tegeta escrow funds. Mr Ngeleja received Sh40.4 million from the same source.

President Jakaya Kikwete’s word is being  awaited on the various recommendations made by the PAC on the IPTL sale scandal.  The committee has also called the dismissal of Energy minister Sospeter Muhongo, Attorney General Frederick Werema and Energy Permanent Secretary Eliachim Maswi.

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Alex Kakala

When the president came back from US, those implicated were supposed to be in police custody while being investigated. The country has become a banana nation.
Today TPDC under Muhngo is talking of exorbitant increase in their salaries, he is signing 900million usd commitment for power supply project between Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia! very strange, implicated minister signing such far reaching implication project to the nation.