PRESIDENT John Magufuli has directed the Judiciary to fast track cases of economic sabotage pending in courts since 2010, denying the government earnings amounting to 1trillion/-.
Speaking at the official commemoration
of the new Judiciary year and Law Day at the Mahakama Grounds in Dar es
Salaam yesterday, the president said the government will only win the
fight against corruption and economic sabotage if the Judiciary would
embrace patriotism.
Dr Magufuli noted that there are 442
cases of economic sabotage pending in courts since 2010, which would
have fetched the government 1tri/-, promising the Judiciary 250bn/- to
address challenges it faces and the rest to go into overhauling Air
Tanzania, including purchasing new airbuses and putting in place a new
airline management.
He further noted that there are 556
cases in the Land Division of the High Court, whose ruling is pending
because the Registrar has failed to write a letter and forward the case
files to the High Court for a decision.
“All these are happening when there is a
Land Commissioner in the Ministry of Land, Housing and Human Settlement
Development,” Dr Magufuli observed. He further revealed that another 26
cases of suspects caught red-handed with government trophies, including
elephant tusks, are also pending in courts for more than five years due
to incomplete investigations on the side of the Directorate of Public
Prosecutions and the Police.
“This is very sad. What exactly are they
investigating when thesuspects were caught redhanded complete with
evidence, Or are these techniques for seeking bribes?” queried the
president.
Dr Magufuli said the law and the
judiciary were the only ways to provide justice and as one of the
pillars of the state, it should speed up economic sabotage cases that
have been undermining the country’s economy
“The longer these cases take, the harder
it is for the Tanzania Revenue Authority officers to collect taxes from
big businessmen in the country who run to court as a cover so that they
can continue to rip off the government,” he charged.
The president told his audience that
although most of the suspects have a lot of money, he had high belief in
the Judiciary – that it would ensure Tanzanians get justice.
“Courts, especially judges, should put
Tanzania’s interests and patriotism first so that justice can be done,’’
he appealed. The president directed the Judiciary to speed up
establishment of the Economic Sabotage court, stressing that the longer
it takes the longer corrupt officials continue to sabotage the nation’s
economy.
Dr Magufuli noted that the National
Electoral Commission (NEC) spent 70bn/- to issue 22.7 million voter
cards while the National Identification Authority (NIDA) spent 177
billion/- and processed only 2 million national IDs.
“I am not crazy, neither am I a dictator....I am forced to make these decisions because of the situation on the ground.
We cannot let such people continue to
undermine this country’s economy,” he explained. He directed Chief
Justice Chande Mohamed Othman to take stern measures against 508
magistrates who failed to meet their case disposal target, stressing
that Tanzania has many bachelor and master degree holders in law who are
unemployed.
“I am not interfering with the
Judiciary; but they were not supposed to go against the directives of
the CJ....giving them seven days to show why disciplinary action should
not be taken against them is not enough,” he noted. “I fail to
understand how we can be poor when we are rich in natural resources.
Today, Tanzania is the only country
where tanzanite is mined. But the leading markets selling the gemstone
and who are benefiting from it are in India and Kenya.
We need to change...with all these riches, Tanzania should have been a donor country,” Dr Magufuli noted.
The president said it pains him so much
to see Tanzania begging for aid when the country has the capacity to
provide its own domestic financial resources, “What kind of sickness is
ailing us; it saddens me that we are where we are when we have all these
resources,” he stressed.
Dr Magufuli explained that the Fifth
Phase Government’s priority is to reduce government expenditure and
direct funds to areas with high needs for the benefit of the public.
Earlier in his speech, Chief Justice
Othman said the Judiciary is geared to execute its duties at the speed
that the president requires, noting that he had directed that from last
month, all cases in the primary and district courts should not last for
more than six months.
He promised that the Economic Sabotage
Court will start operating this year, noting that all preparations for
its establishment are in order.
No comments :
Post a Comment