The
three senior MPs - all members of a key parliamentary oversight
committee - are alleged to have conspired in a grand political kickback
scheme seeking to extort a 30 million/- bribe. If convicted, they could
face up to five years in prison
(from left to right) Alphaxard Kangi Lugola, Suleiman
Ahmed Saddiq, and Victor Kilasile Mwambalaswa await their courtroom
arraignment yesterday
Ruling CCM party MPs Victor Mwambalaswa, Kangi Lugola and Suleiman
Saddiq - all members of the parliamentary local authorities accounts
committee (LAAC) - are alleged to have conspired in a political kickback
scheme that sought to extort a 30 million/- bribe from the Gairo
district council's executive director, Mbwana Soud Magotta.
If convicted of the crime, the lawmakers could each face a fine of at least 500,000/- or up to five years in prison, or both.
The LAAC is supposed to provide parliamentary oversight to all
local government authorities in the country, including Gairo district
council in Dodoma region.
Prosecutors told the Kisutu resident magistrate's court that on
March 15 at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Dar es Salaam’s Masaki suburb, the
three MPs allegedly tried to pocket the bribe at night in exchange for
their cooperation to ensure that the Gairo district council's financial
report got a clean certificate.
"The accused persons committed the offence between 8pm and 10pm at
the hotel," the lead prosecutor, Magela Ndimbo from the Prevention and
Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), stated in court.
It was alleged that the bribe was to help convince the MPs to lobby
fellow members of the LAAC to approve the district council's financial
accounts for fiscal year 2015/16.
The legislators were charged under section 15 (1) (2) of the
Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act number 11 of 2007 for
engaging themselves in a corrupt transaction.
According to this law: "A person who is convicted of an offence
under this section, shall be liable to a fine of not less than five
hundred thousand shillings but not more than one million shillings or to
imprisonment for a term of not less than three years but not more than
five years or to both."
All the accused persons - Mwambalaswa (63), Lugola (54), and Saddiq
(53) - pleaded not guilty to the charges and were released on bail. The
case comes up for another mention on April 14.
The new National Assembly formed after last October’s general
elections has been rocked by what looks like a massive corruption
scandal in the making, following well-publicised reports that bribes
have been changing hands among some parliamentary committee members to
turn a blind eye on financial discrepancies in the reports submitted by
parastatals, district and municipal councils.
The entire parliamentary standing committee on social services
resigned mid-March to pave the way for an investigation into allegations
published in a local tabloid that committee members were offered “a bag
of cash” by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF), ostensibly as a
bribe.
Parliament Speaker Job Ndugai reshuffled several Bunge committees
on the heels of the spreading graft allegations, claiming the move was
normal procedure aimed at improving efficiency.
In the reshuffle, Lugola - one of the accused MPs who appeared in court yesterday - was removed as vice-chairman of the LAAC.
The latest move to open court proceedings against the MPs barely
two weeks since they were allegedly caught in the act demonstrates a
bold new approach on the part of the PCCB in fighting high-level graft.
New PCCB boss Valentino Mlowola, a former police intelligence
chief, told The Guardian in a recent interview that the anti-graft
watchdog had been invigorated by President John Magufuli's own
demonstrated commitment to the cause.
Following is a brief profile of the three prominent lawmakers who appeared in court yesterday to face serious bribery charges:
VICTOR MWAMBALASWA
The Lupa legislator, who has an MBA from Rushmore Business School,
previously served as chairman of the parliamentary energy and minerals
committee.
He has been a member of parliament for the past decade, previously
employed by the Tanzania Cigarette Company (TCC) in various positions
before joining politics in 2005.
Mwambalaswa worked as the TCC director of supplies between 1988 and
1995, before becoming the company's director of projects (1996-2005).
He served as the vice-chairman of the parliamentary finance and
economic affairs committee between 2006 and 2010, before chairing the
energy and minerals committee (2012-2014).
KANGI LUGOLA
The Mwibara MP is an outspoken legislator who served as a policeman and prosecutor before joining politics.
Lugola holds an economics degree from the University of Dar es
Salaam, and was head of security at the Arusha-based East African
Community (EAC) between 2002 and 2010 when he became a legislator.
He served as head of security with the Tanzania Airports Authority (TAA) in 2001-2002.
His rise through the ranks of the Tanzania Police Force started in
1993 when he was employed as a police inspector and later a public
prosecutor, a post he held until 1998.
He was promoted to head of police station Grade A and served in
that position between 1999 and 2000, before retiring from the police
force and joining TAA.
Lugola previously served as a member of the parliamentary LAAC
(committee) between 2013 and 2015. Previously, he was a member of the
parliamentary public organizations accounts committee (POAC).
SULEIMAN AHMED SADDIQ
Businessman Saddiq, who has secondary school education, has been
member of parliament for Mvomero constituency in Morogoro region since
2005.
He has also held various positions in the ruling Chama Cha
Mapinduzi (CCM) party, including member of the National Executive
Council (NEC) and member of the national implementation committee of CCM
youth wing (UVCCM).
Saddiq has served in a number of key Bunge committees in the past,
including the energy and minerals committee and the finance and economic
affairs committee.
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