Tanzania's Director of Public Prosecutions, Biswalo Mganga |
By Staff Reporter, Dar es Salaam.
Several computers are stolen
from the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in Tanzania,
potentially jeopardizing sensitive information on major criminal cases,
including details of plea bargain deals on hundreds of economic crimes cases,
it has been reported.
Dar es Salaam Police Special Zone Commander, Lazaro Mambosasa, confirmed
the incident yesterday, insisting that the law enforcers were thoroughly
investigating the issue.
The Police Commander said, “We received report on the incidence on
Tuesday morning. We are still investigating. No one has so far been arrested in
connection with the computers’ theft”
The theft comes as the DPP’s office is scrutinising several
letters that accused facing economic sabotage charges have written as plea
bargain deals granted by Tanzania President, John Magufuli, in September.
President Magufuli, advised the DPP, Biswalo Mganga to immediately
allow hundreds of accused who are in various remands in Tanzania for economic
crimes to enter a plea bargain and released after paying back the money they allegedly
accumulated illegally.
The Head of State made the advice at a function to swear in newly
appointed regional commissioner, regional administrative secretaries and
ambassadors.
Some weeks later, the DPP presented the report on the
implementation of the advice revealing that some of the accused collectively
were ready to pay some Shillings 13.6 billion ($5.92 million) in cash as a
portion of a total of Shillings 107.8 billion ($46.92 Million) they agreed to
repay. He added that the rest (Sh94.2 billion) would be paid in instalments.
Tanzania's President, John Magufuli (L) receiving plea bargain deals report from the DPP, Biswalo Mganga at State House, Dar es Salaam recently |
About 140 people have reportedly been released from various remand
prisons countrywide after agreeing to compensate the government billions of
shillings they have swindled.
Reports suggest that the process was still on to have 500 other
accused pardoned following their plea applications.
Tanzania’s parliament sitting in Dodoma early in September amended
criminal laws to allow for plea bargaining in certain crimes in a bid to reduce
backlogs in the judicial system.
It allows the accused to negotiate with prosecutors and plead
guilty for a more lenient sentence.
The new legislation came after several such special agreements
with prosecutors.
In April, mobile phone service provider Vodacom, agreed to plead
guilty and pay shillings 5.28 billion ($2.29 Million) to the government after its
Managing Director, Hisham Hendi, and four other executives were charged with
economic crimes.
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