POLICE here have launched an investigation following the arrest of a prominent businessman, Mr Naushad Mohamed Suleiman, nabbed with eight kilogrammes of gold at Zanzibar International Airport on Wednesday night.
Acting Commissioner of Police (CP), Juma Yussuf Ali yesterday informed journalists that they acted on a tip-off to arrest Suleiman, a business tycoon and former sponsor of football tournaments and Malindi Sports Club in Zanzibar.
Mr Suleiman was found with suspected 8kgs of gold, worth 332,515 US dollars (about 746,896,512m/-) based on current gold price, (41,564.45 US dollars per kilogramme), 235,000 US dollars and 57,000 euros cash money.
He was also in possession of currencies from at least 15 other countries. He was due to board FlyDubai at around 9pm en-route to Dubai. “We have started investigations to find out if the suspect legally owns the gold or risk prosecution,” the Commissioner of Police said, adding that the law enforcers remain on high alert to protect the country’s wealth.
Meanwhile, MAUREEN ODUNGA reports from Dar es Salaam that three mineral traders have been sentenced to four years in jail or each pay a fine of 3m/- for two counts related to illegal exportation of five bars of gold worth over 500m/-.
On top of the sentence, the court ordered that the five bars of gold weighing over six kilogrammes be confiscated to serve the interest of the majority instead of the few intended by the convicts.
The trio comprises Mashaka Lucas Haji, JafariHussein alias Seif and Akifu Mohamed; they were all convicted of the offence on their own plea of guilty yesterday by the Kisutu Resident Magistrate Court in Dar es Salaam.
Their convictions come a few months after major transformations in the sector by the government against mineral smuggling outside the country. Principal Resident Magistrate, Huruma Shaidi arrived at the decision considering the fact that the trio did not deny the charge, however, the first and second accused acquired business licences.
The Magistrate further determined that the trio did not possess a permit to export the minerals, noting that the punishment does not intend to prevent them from continuing with the business but rather to abide by the set principles, rules and regulations of operation.
Earlier on, State Attorney, Jehovaness Zacharia informed the court that the accused had no previous records, but requested the court to serve a severe punishment to set example to others. Zacharia also requested the court to confiscate the five bars of gold along with the vehicle which was used to transport the minerals to the Dar es Salaam Port.
In their mitigation, the defence led by Advocate Hudson Ndusyepo supported the earlier claim by the prosecution that the accused were first offenders, therefore, they do not have any previous criminal record.
He further alleged that both of them were mineral traders and that was their main income generating activity, as it is the government aspiration for its people to be involved in decent work.
Advocate Ndusyepo requested for the court’s mercy to grant the accused a lenient punishment based on their submissions. It was alleged that on October 10, this year, at the Dar es Salaam Port, Azam Sea Link in Ilala District, Dar es Salaam city, Hussein and Mohamed were found in illegal possession of five bars of gold weighing 6.242 kg valued at 507,347,241.11/- without a valid licence.
According to the prosecutor, during the occasion and place the accused jointly and together were intending to execute an illegal export the same minerals abroad without a mineral dealer’s licence.
Fifth Phase President, Dr John Magufuli has embarked on a nationalist drive to weed out corruption, theft and international exploitation of the country’s natural resources.
/Daily News (Tz)
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