AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Kilimanjaro Region, in collaboration with the National Prosecutions Office, has taken to court two senior officers with Prisons Department for various economic offences, including occasioning loss of over 18m/-.
A statement issued by Kilimanjaro Region PCCB Chief Bureau Frida Wikes named the accused persons as Assistant Superintendent of Prisons (ASP) Ibrahim Ukoko (43) and Assistant Inspector of Prisons Jacob Shirima (44), all from Kilimanjaro Regional Prison.
Other charges against them include forgery, misappropriation and use of documents to mislead principal, offences which fall under the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act No. 11 of 2007 and other laws under the Penal Code.
The accused persons denied the charges. Since the charges were filed under the Economic and Organized Crime Control Act, the lower court lacked jurisdiction to entertain anything, including the question of bail.
They were directed to go to the High Court for bail consideration. All accused persons were taken to remand until April 12, 2021 for preliminary hearing, as investigations into the matter, according to the prosecution, are complete.
It is alleged in the statement that on diverse dates between December 18 and 21, 2018, ASP Ukoko forged two letters headed “Kutoa Pesa kwenye Akaunti kwa ajili ya Matumizi ya Ofisi,” purporting to show that the letters were written by Regional Prison Officer (RPO), while it was false.
On December 24, 2018 the accused person used a payment voucher with false information that 18,650,900/- were required to be deposited into an account of RPO Kilimanjaro, statements which were untrue and were intended to mislead his principal.
It is alleged further that all the two accused persons facilitated the withdrawal of 18m/- in two installments, where 11m/- was withdrawn in the first installment on December 18, 2018 and 7m/- was withdrawn on December 24, 2018.
“They (the two accused persons) used the money for unknown purposes for their own benefit and thus caused the authorities a loss of 18m/-,” reads part of the statement signed by the Regional Bureau Chief.
