The directive was issued by the Deputy
Speaker, Dr Tulia Ackson, after receiving a report on the controversial
37bn/- tender to procure and install the scanners at all the police
stations between the police force and Lugumi Enterprises Limited awarded
in 2011.
In the said contract, Lugumi Enterprises
was to supply and instal automated fingerprint devices at 108 district
police stations across the country. However, the gadgets had been fixed
at only 14 stations while the firm had already received 99 per cent of
payments.
The 2013/14 Controller and Auditor
General report showed that although the company had already been paid
almost 90 per cent of the contract sum (34bn/-), it had not completed
the project that kicked off five years ago.
In April this year, the PAC formed a
sub-committee to investigate the performance of the 37bn/- controversial
contract between the embattled Lugumi Enterprises and the Police Force,
involving fixing Automated Fingerprint Information System (AFIS) at the
police stations.
The sub-committee was told to submit a
report to PAC for further scrutiny. In the same month, the Clerk of the
National Assembly, Dr Thomas Kashilila, issued a three-day ultimatum to
the law enforcement organ to submit a performance report on the 37bn/-
contract it entered with Lugumi Enterprises before PAC for further
scrutiny.
The move came after the police defied a
directive by the parliamentary oversight committee to put forward the
documents for assessment; following concerns raised by the financial
year 2013/2014 report.
Yesterday, the Deputy Speaker directed
the government to ensure that the electronic systems at the police
stations were functioning properly to enable appropriate identification
of criminals in three months.
Apart from the parliament’s directives,
Dr Ackson said she had already handed over to the Executive, the outcome
and recommendations of the report.
The findings were submitted to her
office by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC), led by its
acting chairman, Mr Aesh Hilaly (Sumbawanga Urban-CCM).
“Apart from the directives I have issued
to the government, I further direct that within three months beginning
today, all the scanners should be working at all police stations,’’ she
stressed.
The Deputy Speaker further directed the
government to work on all specific areas that had laxities in their
responsibility. When presenting the yearly implementation report, Dr
Ackson directed the PAC to table a report on the implementation of the
directives she issued regarding the Lugumi scam.
Through the contract, Lugumi Enterprises
was to fix the bio-metric devices at all district police stations in
the country at a total cost of 34bn/-, excluding value added tax (VAT)
of 3bn/-.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry
of Home Affairs, Judge (Major General) Projest Rwegasira, and the
Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Ernest Mangu as well as high-ranking
officials of the police were quizzed by the parliamentary oversight
committee prior to the release of the report.
Despite issuing the directives, the National Assembly Speaker did not, however, reveal the details of the findings of the deal
No comments :
Post a Comment