Africa-Press – Tanzania. THE Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) has allowed the accused persons in the 1bn/-economic sabotage, and abuse of position trial surrounding implementation of Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Line Project to be granted bail.
This followed his decision to revoke the certificate lodged to object to the grant bail to former Director General with Reli Assets Holding Company (RAHCO) Engineer Benhadard Tito, businessman Kanji Mwinyijuma and ex-RAHCO Company Secretary Emanuel Massawe.
This was disclosed by Senior State Attorney Wankyo Simon before Principal Resident Magistrate Thomas Simba at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam last Thursday, when the trial came for continuation of hearing.
Following the DPP’s decision, the magistrate decided to grant bail to the accused persons on conditions of securing two reliable sureties, with one supposed to deposit in court cash bail of 202,223,606/- or a title deed of immovable property worth of the same amount.
The magistrate ordered the other surety to sign bond of the amount in question, and directed each accused person to surrender in court his passport or any other travel documents and restricted them from leaving the Dar es Salaam region without court’s permission.
He ordered the hearing of the case to continue on July 14, 2021. It is alleged that the accused persons are alleged to have committed the offences under which, they are charged with between 2014 and 2015.
The accused are charged with conspiracy, abuse of position and occasioning over 1bn/- loss in transactions relating to upgrade of the railway. They allegedly conspired to commit an offence under Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act between September 1, 2004 and September 30, 2015.
It is alleged that on February 27, 2015, at RAHCO offices in Ilala District, while discharging his duties, being the Managing Director of the Company, Eng. Tito intentionally abused his position by procuring Rothschild (South Africa) Proprietary Limited.
According to the prosecution, such a company was procured as transaction advisor for the project to upgrade the central line corridor railway in Tanzania, by single source method without a prior approval of RAHCO Tender Board, an act which was in violation of Procurement Act.
Between March 12 and May 20, 2015, at RAHCO offices, Eng. Tito and Massawe allegedly abused their positions by signing a letter for appointing the South African company and failure to submit consultancy services contract between the company and RAHCO to the Attorney General for vetting.
The two accused persons, between May 20 and June 20, 2015, at RAHCO offices, allegedly abused their positions by signing the consultancy agreement and failure to submit copies to the Attorney General, Controller and Auditor General, Internal Auditor General and Tanzania Revenue Authority.
Between March 1 and September 30, 2015, at RAHCO offices, by their willful acts, all the three accused persons procured consultancy services from Rothschild (South Africa) Proprietary Limited, which was not rendered, thereby causing loss of 527,540 US dollars, which was paid as advance.
Eng. Tito was charged with an additional count of abuse of his position that on August 18, 2015, allegedly awarded China Railway Construction Corporation construction work of 2km of Standard Gauge railway line at Soga worth 2,312,229.39 US dollars, without approval of RAHCO Tender Board.
