Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda (right) listens to Official Opposition in
Parliament leader Freeman Mbowe in Dodoma yesterday. Left is Minister of
State in PMO (Policy Coordination and National Assembly) William
Lukuvi. PHOTO | EMMANUEL HERMAN
In Summary
He noted that had Mr Pinda been serious and closely
followed what was going on in the government, the country would not have
been plunged into the escrow scandal.
Dar and Dodoma. The ball is now in President Jakaya Kikwete’s court over the Tegeta Escrow Account’s scandal.
Parliament has finally asked him to discipline his four top officials.
They are Energy and Minerals minister Sospeter
Muhongo, his permanent secretary Eliachim Maswi, and Attorney General
Frederick Werema. Also to be disciplined is minister Anna Tibaijuka of
Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development.
Prof Tibaijuka has also been named among people who received money illegally withdrawn from the Tegeta Escrow Account.
But the list of those who should be disciplined
included other officials from the Judiciary and Parliament. From the
Judiciary, Parliament has asked President Kikwete to form an inquiry
team to investigate judges Aloycius Mujulizi and John Ruhangisa whose
names appeared on the list of people who received money from James
Rugemalira, the owner of VIP Engineering.
Rugemalira paid many people after receiving $75
million from Pan African Power Solution (PAP) being payment of its 30
per cent shares in the Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL).
Parliament was also asked to take measures against
Andrew Chenge, the chairman of Parliament Budget Committee, Victor
Mwambalaswa, the Energy Committee chairman as well as chairman for
Constitution, Legal Affairs and Governance Committee, William Ngeleja,
whose names also appeared on the list of those who were paid by
Rugemalira. MPs spent the whole of yesterday behind closed doors making
consultations. The new resolutions were presented in Parliament by
Public Accounts Committee (PAC) chairman Zitto Kabwe, who said they were
agreed upon by a committee comprising representatives from various
groups.
In the far-reaching resolutions, Parliament called
for actions to be taken against people from the Executive, Judiciary
and Legislature who were implicated in the scam.
Parliament also asked President Kikwete to
dissolve the board of directors of the Tanzania Electric Supply Company
(Tanesco) as it failed to advise the government on the matter,
subjecting the country to a huge loss.
Parliament resolutions affirmed that
investigations proved that PAP did not follow procedures in acquiring
IPTL) shares. The House advised the government to find ways of retaking
the IPTL plants and handing them over to Tanesco.
The government has also been tasked by Parliament
to initiate a review of all power purchase agreements which Tanesco had
entered into with independent power producers.
Parliament said that should be effected immediately and progress report should be tabled before the end of next Budget meeting.
Parliament has also asked the Bank of Tanzania
and other concerned institutions to declare Stanbic Bank and other
financial institutions which were involved in the escrow account money
as money laundering concerns for their involvement in the scandal.
When the session resumed at 7pm after being
adjourned twice, the deputy minister for Justice and Constitutional
Affairs, Ms Angela Kairuki, told Parliament that after consultations the
government had decided to withdraw amendments it had moved for the
resolutions drawn by PAC over the issue.
The opposition chief whip, Mr Tundu Lissu, also
withdrew all the recommendations he presented yesterday over the same
issue on behalf of the opposition camp.
Mr Kabwe who presented PAC recommendations earlier also withdrew them.
Speaker Anne Makinda said they were required to
withdraw their recommendations because they were already presented and
received by Parliament.
Speaking after the resolutions were presented, the
Leader of Official Opposition in Parliament, Mr Freeman Mbowe, asked
Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda to run government affairs a bit seriously.
He noted that had Mr Pinda been serious and
closely followed what was going on in the government, the country would
not have been plunged into the escrow scandal.
In his comments, the minister of State in the
President’s Office (Relations and Coordination), Mr Stephen Wassira,
assured Parliament that the government would implement the advice given
Parliament.
Reported by Peter Nyanje (Dar) and Katare Mbashiru (Dodoma
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