TANZANIA: SENSITIVE DPP’S COMPUTERS STOLEN

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.