Three foreigners booked over causing 370m/- loss to State

FAUSTINE KAPAMA

THREE foreigners appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam yesterday charged with several counts relating to fraudulent use of the communication network and occasioning loss of over 370m/- to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

They are Mahad Sakat (30), Fauthia Abdi (31) and Ally Yusuf (22), all residents of Somalia. They were not allowed to enter into a plea to the charges before Principal Resident Magistrate Wilbard Mashauri as such counts fall under the Economic and Organised Crime Control Act.

The magistrate ordered them to go to remand prison until December 12, when their cases will be mentioned as investigations, according to the prosecution led by Senior State Attorney Jehovanese Zacharia and Johannes Kalungura, Principal State Attorney from TCRA, have not been completed.

Other counts include importation and installation of electronic communication equipment without a licence, fraudulent use of network facilities, use of unapproved electronic equipment and operating electronic communications without a licence.

The prosecution alleged that at an unknown date in August this year inthe city, and knowingly, the accused persons imported into Tanzania, some electronic communication equipment, which are two Voice Over Internet Protocal (VOIP) Gateways without having a licence issued by TCRA.

According to the prosecutor, on or before August 25, 2017 in the city, the accused persons unlawfully installed and maintained the said equipment without a licence. It is alleged that as from August 25 to October 31, 2017, in the city, the accused persons unlawfully operated international gateway for receiving and transmitting international telecommunications without licence issued by the Authority.

The prosecution told the court that within the same period, in Dar es Salaam, with intent to avoid rates payable for receiving and transmitting international incoming traffic, the accused persons dishonestly terminated international incoming traffic by using unlicensed gateways.

Within the same period in the city, the accused persons unlawfully used communications equipment connected to electronic communication network service for the purpose of receiving and transmitting electronic communication signals without approval from TCRA.

The court heard further that from August 25b to October 31, 2017, at Temeke area within the city and region of Dar es Salaam, being unlicensed network facility operators, jointly and together, by their willful acts, they caused TCRA to suffer a pecuniary loss of 270,137,600/-.

Speaking with reporters outside the court building, Mr Kalungula reiterated his warning to all people to respect the laws of the land. He stressed that no-one would be spared for involvement in any criminal conduct aimed at jeopardising the national economy.