Tanzania: Fresh Charges Filed in 1bn/ - Theft Case

By Faustine Kapama

THE prosecution on Tuesday filed new charges before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in

Dar es Salaam against four people, including an advocate of the High Court, over masterminding organized crime, forgery, uttering false documents, stealing over 1bn/- and money laundering.

The accused persons were Khairoon Jandu (52), who is a director with Jandu Construction and Plumbers Company Limited, Mohamed Majaliwa (39), the Advocate, Ibrahim Sangawe (33), a Manager with Stanbic Bank and Zanabu Tharia (26), a house wife.

They were not allowed to enter plea to the charges before Principal Resident Magistrate Kassian Matembele because the case has been filed under the Economic and Orgamised Crime Control Act.

The magistrate ordered the accused persons to go to remand because his court lacked jurisdiction to entertain bail and that the offence of money laundering facing two of them is not bailable.

He adjourned the trial to August 4, 2020 for mention, as investigations into the matter, according to the prosecution, led by Senior State Attorneys Wankyo Simon and State Attorneys Faraji Nguka and Ester Martin, have not been completed.

Reading the new charges, the trial attorneys told the court that on diverse dates between January and June 2020 within the City of Dar es Salaam, jointly and together, all accused persons intentionally furthered the objective of a criminal racket of forgery and stealing.

The court heard that between January 16, 2017 and May 25, 2019 in Dar es Salaam, with intent to defraud, Khairoon, Majaliwa and Sangawe forged the signature of Mr Inderjit Sigh Jandu, purporting it was a extract of minutes of an extra ordinary general meeting and on a will.

According to the prosecution, the accused purported to show that Khairoon was appointed the director of Jandu Construction and Plumbers Company Limited and allotted shares and that the will was genuinely issued by her husband, the facts she knew to be untrue.

Within the same period in Dar es Salaam, knowingly and fraudulently, Khairoon uttered the forged documents to Business Registration and Licensing Agency (BRELA).

On diverse dates in 2020, all accused persons stole 1,033,860,100/-, the property of Jandu Construction and Plumbers Company Limited. Sangawe was charged alone with an offence of neglecting to prevent an offence.

It is alleged that between 2019 and 2020 in the city of Dar es Salaam, being an employee of Stanbic Bank as a Manager, he failed to use all reasonable means to prevent the commission of offence of stealing.

On money laundering, the prosecution alleged that on unknown dates in 2019 and June 2020 in the city, jointly and together, all accused persons acquired the money, while they knew or ought to know that at the time of receipt such money was proceed of predicate offence of stealing.