Minerals minister Dotto Biteko
Summary
- Last week, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr Biswalo Mganga, told journalists that his office had acquired enough evidence to sue five people (including two police officers) of six counts over their alleged involvement in mineral smuggling at Chunya.
By Hawa [email Protected]
Mbeya — Minerals minister Dotto Biteko on Monday ordered the immediate suspension of three officers of Chunya Mineral Centre over their alleged involvement in smuggling.
Mr Biteko also relieved the supervisor of Chunya Mineral Centre, Mr Paulo Gagala, of his duties to pave way to investigations over the officers' role in smuggling.
Mr Biteko said it was under Mr Gagala's watch at the centre that traders smuggled 15.4 kilogrammes of gold with a market value of Sh1.8 billion.
Last week, the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mr Biswalo Mganga, told journalists that his office had acquired enough evidence to sue five people (including two police officers) of six counts over their alleged involvement in mineral smuggling at Chunya.
He told journalists on December 10, 2020 that three of the five are mineral dealers at Chunya.
One of them was arrested by police on November 25, 2020 as he attempted to smuggle the 15.4 kilograms of gold.
Upon arresting them, the two police officers asked to be given Sh150 million so they could release the dealer and allow him to proceed with the smuggling mission.
The dealer, along with the two police officers appeared before Mbeya Resident's Magistrate Court to respond to six counts related to economic sabotage, money laundering, engaging in criminal gang and mineral smuggling.
Those who appeared before Magistrate John Msafiri last week were police officers Njujilo and Daniel Mrema and a businessman Sabra Habib Ally.
Law enforcers were still looking for the whereabouts of the remaining two businesspeople in connection with the case.
They are: Salum Nassor and Hamdun Mtafuni.
This is not the first time that the ministry comes hard on those alleged of smuggling minerals at Chunya.
Last year, Mr Biteko ordered the then executive secretary of the Minerals Commission, Prof Shukrani Manya, to suspend 13 mineral officers based at Chunya over allegations of conspiring with owners of gold smelting plants to smuggle out the minerals.
Mr Manya has since been appointed as Deputy Minister for Minerals.
He told small scale miners at Chunya Council Hall last year that even though Mbeya ranked second in gold production in the country, some of it was being smuggled out and that dealers did not pay their due royalties to the government.
He alleged that the district minerals officers have been conspiring with unscrupulous miners to smuggle out gold, alleging further that the experts have been falsifying the figures of gold production.
"Chunya District is leading in gold smuggling, and they do this with the help of our experts. Let me warn owners of gold smelters, your machinery will be confiscated and your capital nationalized, and all those officers who are part to these shoddy deals will have their employment terminated. We're ready to bring in new officers from the ministry to take over, and during that time the office will be placed under the regional office," said Mr Biteko.
"How come small miners evade tax? They only pay 7 per cent of tax coming from minerals, while large miners pay 93 per cent," he explained further.
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