Former Air Tanzania top official's case adjourned

By Karama Kenyunko

Former Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) managing director David Mattaka

 The Kisutu Resident Magistrate Court yesterday adjourned the defence testimony hearing of abuse of office case facing former Managing Director of Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) David Mattaka and two others.

 

The case was forced to be put-off because the prosecutor failed to appear before the court. The court was informed that, the case had been brought for the accused to start their defence but the prosecutor Shadrack Kimaro, was not in attendance because he was attending to another case at the High Court.

 

Resident magistrate Emiilius Mchauru adjourned the case to February 2 and 3 for hearing.

 

In the case, Mattaka along with two other senior officials of ATCL are charged with failure to keep proper company records and for their alleged purchase of worn-out motor vehicles worth 1 bn/-.

 

Mataka’s co-accused are Elisaph Ikomba, former ATCL acting chief financial officer and William Haji, the airline’s former chief internal auditor,

On the first count, it is alleged that at diverse dates between March and July 2007 in Dar es Salaam, the accused together with others (not before the court) conspired to conduct themselves abusively.

 

On the second count it is alleged that between June and July 2007 during the course of discharging their duties, the accused,  in their various capacities at ATC intentionally abused their positions by floating a tender to supply to ATCL 26 units of used motor vehicles, tendered without the approval of the ATCL tender board.

 

On the third count it is alleged that on diverse dates between July and August 2007, the accused abused their positions by procuring, without conducting competitive tendering, 26 units of used motor vehicles at USD 809,300 from Bin Dalmouk Motors, a company based in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.

 

Further, it is alleged that on the same date and place, the accused, while discharging their duties, intentionally abused their positions by purchasing for and on behalf of ATCL, a company wholly owned by the government of the United Republic of Tanzania, the 26 units of used motor vehicles at USD 809,300 from the said Bin Dalmouk Motors Company.

 

On the fifth count it is alleged that Mattaka, Ikomba and Haji, on diverse dates between 2nd July and 23rd August 2007, abused their positions by authorizing payment for the purchase of the said cars from the said company without there being a formal procurement contract between ATCL and Bin Dalmouk Motors Co. Ltd.

 

On the last count, it is alleged that between July 2007 and December 2011, the accused, being employees of ATCL, by reason of their failure to take reasonable care, procured 26 units of used motor vehicles without having a budget for the procurement of the same, an omission which caused ATCL to suffer a pecuniary loss amounting to USD 143,442.75 that the company incurred as storage charges for failure to timely pay import duties for the said motor vehicles and bank interest on the loan advanced for the acquisition of the vehicles.