“ We expect to hold a rally to popularise our party to Dar es Salaam
residents and in that meeting I will put public the report on Swiss
Billions. This is after the government failed to put to the public
domain a report which reveals the names who have stashed away billions
of shillings abroad,”
ACT-Wazalendo Party Leader Zitto Kabwe
By Katare Mbashiru,The Citizen Reporter
In Summary
- Zitto said on July 4 ACT will hold a rally at Mwembeyanga in Dar es Salaam where he would reveal names of people with ofshore accounts
- An offshore bank is a bank located outside the country of residence of the depositor, typically in a low-tax jurisdiction (or tax haven) that provides financial and legal advantages. Offshore banking has often been associated with the underground economy and organised crime, via tax evasion and money laundering; however, legally, offshore banking does not prevent assets from being subject to income tax
Dodoma. After years of
dilly-dallying and secrecy by the government on who owns much cash in
offshore accounts, the Alliance for Change and Transparency
(ACT-Wazalendo) party will finally reveal the names of those involved on
July 4.
But Attorney General George Masaju who revealed in
February that the report on the same matter was ready and that it would
be tabled in Parliament chose to keep mum when The Citizen demanded to know when it would be presented as the House’s life comes to an end on July 9.
President Jakaya Kikwete is expected to address
the National Assembly on July 9 and later dissolve Parliament to pave
the way for the country’s General Election slated for October 25.
Yesterday, ACT-Wazalendo party leader Zitto Kabwe
told a news conference, barely a day after he completed his tour of
different regions, that he would provide a list of 99 bigwigs behind the
Swiss Billions at a public rally.
Mr Kabwe and other party leaders had for the last
three weeks been traversing various regions to popularize the party and
the newly launched Tabora Declaration which seeks to revive the now
defunct Arusha Declaration.
Addressing a news conference, Mr Kabwe said on
July 4, the party will hold a huge political rally at Mwembeyanga
grounds in Dar es Salaam where he would reveal the names of people with
ofshore accounts in the and the amount of cash they had stashed.
The ACT-Wazalendo party’s move comes at a time
when a big cloud still hangs over the ‘Swiss Billions’ even as Mr Masaju
made a revelation that the report of a taskforce led by the Prevention
and combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) director general Edward Hosea
was ready.
Mr Hosea revealed in February, just few days after
he was appointed AG, to succeed former AG, Judge Fredrick Werema, who
resigned following the Tegeta escrow account scandal.
Addressing editors in Dar es Salaam at his maiden
press conference, Mr Masaju said the final report would be tabled in
Parliament any time. He stressed that Parliament would then debate the
document and decide on the next course of action.
However, almost five months down the line, the
report has been shelved and the government is still silent. At
Parliament grounds in Dodoma, the AG appeared to run away from questions
on the controversy surrounding the matter. When asked by The Citizen
to give any statement on the promise he made before editors in
February, the AG said: “I cannot comment on that issue because
everything here depends on Parliament’s schedule.
The Citizen further sought comment from
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Job Ndugai concerning the ‘Swiss
Billions’ report, but MrNdugai said his office was yet to receive it.
“We understand this matter was being pushed by the
former Kigoma North MP, but as of today the government is yet to bring
the report to the office of the Speaker and I think you should contact
the AG,’’ he said.
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