Africa-Press – Tanzania. THREE people, including two foreigners, appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam, charged with organising and trafficking 95 humans and engaging in occupation without a valid work permit.
They are Mohamed Shalaby (52), an Egyptian, Ally Rajabu (40), a Tanzanian, and Chebet Benson (33), a Ugandan.
Mr Shalaby and Rajabu denied the charges, while Benson entered a plea of guilty before Senior Resident Magistrate in Charge, Godfrey Isaya.
The magistrate granted bail to the three accused persons on different bail conditions.
He ordered each of the two foreigners to secure three sureties, who must be Tanzanians; one of them must be an employee of a recognized institution. Every surety, according to the magistrate, must sign a bond of 9m/-.
He further directed them to surrender their travel documents and not to leave Dar es Salaam Region without court’s permission.
For the Tanzanian, the magistrate ordered him to be bailed out with two reliable sureties who were to sign a bond of same amount.
None of the accused persons managed to meet the set bail conditions and were all sent to remand until today when the prosecution, led by an officer from the Immigration Department Geofrey Ngwijo, would conduct a preliminary hearing as investigations into the matter are complete.
Prosecuting, the prosecutor told the court that on August 4, 2021 at Avone Department in Ilala District in the city, being a citizen of Egypt and Mauritius, Mr Shalaby was found attempting to smuggle 90 Tanzanians and five Burundians from the United Republic of Tanzania to Mauritius and Canada, while it was illegal.
The court noted that on the same date and place within Dar es Salaam, Mr Rajabu was also found to commit the same offences.
It is alleged that on the same date at Sali International Hospital located at Masaki in Kinondoni District in Dar es Salaam, Mr Benson, a Ugandan, was found to have engaged in occupation as an information technology officer without having a valid work permit.
Before adjourning the proceedings, the Egyptian claimed that that he came to Tanzania to conduct some businesses upon invitation from a woman he identified by one name as Rahma.
According to him, upon arriving in the country he sought work permit but he was told to pay 2,500 US dollars, of which he paid.
He said that the woman had no office, and later he was arrested while at the house of Rahma when he was still processing some work permits.
The magistrate, however, told the accused person that the arguments he presented were prematurely raised because the time would come for him to give his defense in respect to the charges preferred against him.
