Dodoma, TANZANIA
Tanzania’s Bombardier Q400
plane which is among new planes procured by the government for the national
carrier - Air Tanzania Corporation Limited (ATCL) has been impounded in
Canada.
Foreign Affairs minister
Palamagamba Kabudi has revealed this on Saturday November 23, 2019. He said the
plane was supposed to fly to Tanzania before the end of November.
Kabudi claims that the plane
was impounded after a South African farmer, Hermanus Steyn, asked the Canadian
authorities to impound the plane, pending a court case from which he is
demanding the Tanzania government to pay him $33 million. He is demanding the
money as a compensation following the government’s decision to seize his land
back in 1980s.
The foreign affairs minister
revealed this to President John Magufuli at the State House in Chamwino, Dodoma
during a ceremony to swear in new Tanzanian ambassadors to Belgium, Saudi Arabia,
Burundi, Egypt and Abu Dhabi.
This is the second time that
the South African retired farmer has demanded the seizure of Tanzania’s planes
over compensation claims.
In August this year, a South
Africa court ordered the seizure of another Tanzania plane following a request
from the farmer. However, the plane was released following a successful appeal
by the government.
However, the minister said a
group of lawyers will be dispatched to Canada to appeal against the decision to
impound the plane.
“We defeated him in
Court in South Africa, he then appealed, but we won the case. This time he
demanded the Canadian authorities to impound our Bombardier Q400 but we are
ready for the battle,” said the minister.
Foreign Affairs Minister Palamagamba Kabudi |
The minister also expressed
concerns over what he claimed as a tendency of Canadian authorities’ tendency
of seizing Tanzania planes.
In November 2017 President
John Magufuli wrote to the Canadian Prime Minister in regard to the seizure of
Tanzania-owned airplane, Bombardier Q400.
The airplane, which was
supposed to be delivered in July, is being held in Canada after the Tanzanian
government failed to pay $38 million (equal to Sh83 billion) owed to United
Kingdom Stirling Civil Engineering Limited due to a contractual dispute.
The firm won the tender to
construct the Wazo Hill-Bagamoyo Road but the government terminated the deal
without paying compensation.
The firm, successfully sued
Tanzania at the International Court of Arbitration in Montreal Canada.
The plane was later released
but no details were revealed on what terms were entered between the two parts
for the plane release. - Africa
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