Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has dropped the money laundering charge in the 1.6bn/- trial of two French nationals, who are among senior officials with BEVICO Limited, a company engaging in the business of importing and selling alcoholic beverages.
This was revealed at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam on Thursday when State Attorney, Ester Martin, for the prosecution, substituted a new charge sheet against the accused persons before Senior Resident Magistrate in Charge Godfrey Isaya.
Following the new development, the accused persons will have the right to be bailed out, though by the High Court, since the remaining counts are bailable.
The trial attorney read over the substituted charge sheet to the accused persons and informed the court that investigations are still incomplete.
The remaining counts are leading organized crime, failure to pay tax, tax evasion, forgery of various documents, uttering false documents and occasioning loss to a specified authority.
The case was adjourned to July 6, 2021 for mention. In the case, the accused persons are two French nationals, Thierry Lefeuvre and Melanie Phillippe, who are Chief Executive Officer and Human Resources Manager with BEVICO Limited and two Tanzanians Joseph Rwegasira and Ntemi Massanja, who are Finance Manager and lawyer with the company.
It is alleged that on diverse dates between September 1, 2017 and September 30, 2020 at various places within the commercial city of Dar es Salaam, jointly and together, all accused persons intentionally organized a criminal racket.
The court heard that between October 1, 2017 and December 31, 2019 in the city, by their willful acts, jointly and together, all accused persons caused the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to suffer a pecuniary loss of 1,658,370,376/29.
According to the prosecution, between October 1, 2017 and June 31, 2020 in the city, being Manager and Chief Executive Officer with BEVCO Limited, respectively, Samson and Lefeuvre failed to pay the said 1,658,370,376/29 as Value Added Tax (VAT) payable to TRA.
It is alleged that between January 22 and July 19, 2019 within the city, being Finance Manager of BEVCO Limited, failed to pay a total of 187,263,009/48 being VAT, while between January 26, 2018 and May 21, 2020, Lefeuvre failed to pay a total of 593,279,429/61 as VAT payable to the Authority.
Between January 1 and April 1, 2020 at BEVCO Limited offices in Dar es Salaam, Samson forged several documents with different purposes, including Notice of Call of Shares, a reply letter, extraordinary members’ resolution, while Lefeuvre is alleged to have forged Companies Form 210b.
The two accused persons are also alleged to have jointly forged other documents for different purposes, including the form in question, return of allotment of shares Form 55a and application for change of BEVCO Company Limited particulars.
On January 1, 2020 at BEVCO Limited offices within the city, knowingly and fraudulently, Samson uttered to the Registrar of Companies the false documents.
