The government has said it will give the names of all companies and individuals linked to the much-publicised theft of 133 billion/- from the Bank of Tanzania`s external payments account (EPA) in 2005 once the exercise of recovering the money is completed.
Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Mustafa Mkullo told The Guardian yesterday that the procedures used in recovering the money are not confidential, adding: ``Everything will be made public once we are satisfied that we are through with the exercise.``
The minister called for patience and understanding from members of the public, saying that would allow the government time to continue with its efforts to get all the money in question back.
``There is no way the Government can hide anything from wananchi because it is their money. However, we cannot disclose the tactics we are using because we may end up getting nothing,`` he explained.
According to Mkullo, the team appointed by President Jakaya Kikwete to probe the scam involving the 133bn/- had opted for that approach in the belief that it was the best way of recovering the money.
He said the completion of the recovery exercise would be followed by the publication of all those who had heeded the Government`s call to return the money, complete with the amount recovered.
``People should not misunderstand what we are doing. We are not needlessly keeping anything secret. All we are doing is meant to avoid unnecessary interference and to make sure that the Government gets all the money back,`` he pointed out.
He revealed that the pace of the (recovery) exercise had progressed well, with sizeable amounts returned just before his exclusive interview with this paper in Dar es Salaam yesterday.
Last Friday, the Government announced that it had recovered more than 50bn/- but Mkullo flatly declined to give the names of the companies or individuals that had paid up.
An audit report prepared by Ernst and Young showed that controversial payments amounting to 133,015,186,220.74/- were dubiously made to 22 Tanzanian firms, some of them phantom ones, from the EPA account.
A total of 90,359,078,804/- out of this was paid to 13 local firms based on fake and forged documentation, while some of the payees had no supporting documentation.
The government announcement has generated an avalanche of queries from the public, with some questioning the rationale of hiding the names of those behind the scam and the efficiency of the mechanism used in recovering the money.
The minister`s assurance might help to allay widespread fears that the government could ultimately just decide to call a news conference and give vague details on the recovery exercise.
Some prominent lawyers and politicians have expressed unqualified reservations over the possibility of those proved to be behind the scam escaping only with the ``minor injury`` of repaying the amounts they owe the public.
Some have called stiffer additional punishment, including legal action and ensuring that the amounts recovered are inclusive of cumulative interest.
Asked about the government`s decision to hide the identity of those behind the 133bn/- theft scandal, which has sent shockwaves throughout Tanzania and beyond, Legal and Human Rights Centre Director Hellen Kijo-Bisimba said: ``I wonder where the money they are paying back is coming from in the first place. Who is returning it and why now?``
Kijo-Bisimba said the government was duty-bound to tell the public whether the money being returned was part of the 133bn/- stolen or was being given to the government as a present.
``How can we be sure that the money stolen has actually been returned? Someone could just tell us that a certain amount has been recovered while in fact nothing has been returned. We can never prove it, can we?? she queried.
She said it was of fundamental importance for the government to publish the names of all those returning the money and tell the public the exact legal measures to be taken against them after the recovery exercise.
``The government should not keep the issue secret because the public wants to know precisely what is going on. Let them be open and transparent,`` noted the LHRC head.
Prof Mwesiga Baregu from the University of Dar es Salaam, meanwhile, said the whole affair was shrouded in mist, suspicion and mystery.
``It is shocking because, as far we are concerned, there is a process that oversees all activities at the central bank. I don`t think what has happened abides by the bank`s own regulations,`` he observed.
He added: ``It looks like any amount of money could easily and quietly disappear from the bank and soon as easily and quietly return. There are a lot of unanswered questions and the public must be told how much money is returned and who has returned it.``
The political science guru said the onus was on the government to give to the public the full details of what was going on instead of maintaining a semblance of dignified silence.
``It is unacceptable to let things go on the way they are. We deserve convincing explanation on the matter. They should explain to us why they are keeping silent and whether, under our laws, that is the only option to recover money stolen from public coffers,`` said Prof Baregu.
SOURCE: Guardian
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