TANZANIA’S ESCROW ACCOUNT SAGA BIG FISH BOW FOR CLEMENCY

By Our Reporter, Dar es Salaam

Tanzania’s big energy sector investor Harbinder Singh Sethi who is facing an economic sabotage crimes case has written to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) seeking clemency issued by the president and payment engagement agreement to secure his freedom.

Sethi’s advocate, Michael Ngalo, asked the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s court yesterday to help facilitate the process so that his client is released.

But nothing came from Sethi’s co-accused, an associate at the IPTL independent power outfit, James Rugemarira.

The two were involved in the Tegeta escrow account saga, first appearing at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court on June 19, 2017 facing 12 charges.

These included money laundering, but investigations into the case are yet to be completed and they remain in remand since the charges involved preclude bail.

Former minister in the government, Professor Anna Tibaijuka, who at the time the issue rocked Parliament was minister for Lands, Housing and Human Settlements Development, was recently quoted saying she was returning to the government the 1.6bn/- donation that her school, Barbro Johnson Model Girls’ School, received from Rugemalira.

Advocate Ngalo told Resident Magistrate Huruma Shaidi that the DPP was yet to respond to his client’s request to negotiate his freedom, which involves confessing to the alleged crime and paying the state for the incurred losses.

The lawyer lamented that investigations into the case had dragged on for too long, urging prosecution to name the date when they are likely to complete the probe.

 Harbinder Singh Sethi (2nd) and his co-accused, an associate at the IPTL independent power outfit, James Rugemarira (L) leaving a court room in Dar es Salaam.

But State Attorney Wankyo Simon, reiterating that investigations were yet to be completed, argued that the State cannot commit to a particular date to complete investigations into criminal offences.

Simon however admitted that the DPP’s office had indeed received Sethi’s letter and that it was working on it. He promised that the office would reply to the request as soon as possible.

The court adjourned the case until October 24 when it comes up for mention at the court.

A total of 467 remandees have written to the Director of Criminal Investigations (DPP) expressing readiness to pay the state a total of some (Shillings) 107.8 billion/- (46 million US Dollars) in plea bargains.

President John Magufuli

Giving the briefing at State House in Dar es Salaam last month, the DPP said 467 accused persons now in remand prisons across the country wrote letters seeking to repay a total of 107.8bn/-.

He explained that the figure includes the amount in respect of those ready to pay 13.6bn/- immediately and those surrendering to the government a total of 35 kg of gold, tanzanite and other minerals, and also others ready to pay 94.2bn/- by installment.

He added that two remandees had responded to the government offer by admitting their crimes in court, with one having already paid 1.37bn/- and surrendered 2,123.64 grams of gemstones valued at 36.5m/-.