AfricaPress-Tanzania: THE Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) in Rukwa Region has saved over 170m/- that would have been swindled by several Saving and Credit Cooperatative Societies (Saccos) and defaulters.
According to PCCB, defaulters are village and ward executive officers who were assigned by their councils to collect domestic revenue in various areas by using Point of Sale Machines( POS).
PCCB Head for Rukwa Region, Mr Hamza Mwenda spoke on the saved money over the weekend when he briefed reporters on the activities and performance of the anti-corruption watchdog for the period between April and June 2020.
Part of the saved money which amounted to 56m/- was supposed to be paid to 39 retired teachers from Kalambo and Sumbawanga district councils who were members of CHAUWAMI –Saccoss.
He said that despite passage of four years after retirement from public service, CHAUWAMI Saccos leaders neither paid them the money, nor showed any intention of doing so, prompting them to lodge complaints to PCCB.
Mr Mwenda said investigations by PCCB revealed that Saccos leaders were using teachers’ savings for their own gains by depositing the money into their personal accounts, which was a violation of Cooperative Societies Act No. 6 of 2013.
In another incident, PCCB handed over 39.9m/- to Nkasi Teachers Saccos leadership after it cornered the outgoing cooperative’s leadership, prompting it to return the money.
The outgoing leadership had previously forged documents and loaned the money to people who were not members.
He further disclosed that the bureau saved another 34.2m/- that was swindled by some defaulters who were using Point of Sale Machines (POS) to collect domestic revenues from Sumbawanga District Council.
“ But instead of banking the money they collected, they pocketed it,” added Mr Mwenda.
Similarly, the anti corruption body saved 45m/- which was over paid to Girson Investment Ltd contracted to construct Katongolo Irrigation Scheme in Kirando Ward along the Lake Tanganyika shoreline in Nkasi District.
“ The saved fund amounting to 45m/- has been deposited into a special account in the Bank Of Tanzania (BOT)” added Mr Mwenda.
