Three TIB Bank officials in court for soliciting 5m/- bribe from customer

FAUSTINE KAPAMA

THREE officers with the Tanzania Investment Bank (TIB) appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam yesterday charged with soliciting 5m/- as bribe from a bank customer.

They are Edward Sizya, Aloyce Lufungulo and Salum Abdu Salum, who are liquidation officers and office clerk with the bank, respectively. They denied the charges before Principal Resident Magistrate Respicious Mwijage.

The magistrate granted them bail on condition of securing one surety each. Each surety, according to the magistrate, was required to sign bond of 5m/-. The case was adjourned to November 8 when the case will be mentioned.

Investigations into the matter, according to the prosecution, led by an officer from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) Odessa Holombe, have not been completed.

The prosecution told the court that in October 2016 at the offices of TIB, Upanga Branch in Ilala District in the city, being employees of the bank, jointly and together, all accused persons solicited for themselves 5m/- from one Gosbert Matale.

Such amount, according to the prosecution, was an inducement to assist one Evelina Mdecha to redeem a title deed held by the bank as security. The court heard also that in September 2016 at the bank, being employed as liquidation officer, Sizya solicited for himself 5m/- from Mdecha as an inducement to assist her to redeem the title deed held by the bank.

It is alleged by the prosecution that on October 12, this year, aA the bank offices, Sizya accepted for himself 2m/- from Mdecha for similar purposes, whereas on October 18, the same accused person obtained for himself 200,000/- from Mdecha for similar mission.

The arraignment of the bank officers comes just a day after three ex-officers with Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) and a businessman were arraigned before the same court accused of corrupt transaction involving over 8bn/- in a tender deal for construction of oil pipeline.

They are former Director General Ephraim Mgawe, Bakari Kilo (59), who is former Director of Engineering, Theophil Kimaro (54), the then Procurement Unit Manager and Kishor Shapriya (60), the Managing Director with DB Shapriya and Company Limited. They are alleged to have committed the offences on diverse dates at undisclosed locations in the city between 2009 and 2012.

The prosecution alleged that jointly and together, Mgawe, Kilo and Kimaro corruptly solicited through an agent, DB Shapriya and Company Limited, a sum of four million US dollars (over 8bn/- ) from Leighton Offshore Pte Limited.

Such amount was an inducement to facilitate Leighton Offshore Pte Limited to win a tender for replacement of Single Point Mooring and Pipeline at RAS Mjimwema to the TPA.

The prosecution told the court further that within the same period and places, being the Managing Director of DB Shapriya and Company Limited, Kishor Shapriya, as agent of Leighton Offshore Pte Limited, corruptly offered the said four million US dollars as bribe to Mgawe, Kilo and Kimaro, for same purpose.