RENOWNED businessmen Marijani Abubakar ‘Papaa Msofe’ and Fadhil Mganga were yesterday joined into another money laundering trial apart from the 900m/- case they are facing at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam in a mineral deal.
The duo faces three new charges of money laundering, leading organized crime and obtaining over 60m/-from a foreigner by false pretences- -joined into trial of High Court Advocate, Abdul Zulu Luyana.
Before Senior Resident Magistrate, Augustina Mbando, the two businessmen as well as the member of the bar were not allowed to enter plea of the charges because they fall under the Economic and Organised Crime Control Act.
The magistrate informed the accused that her court lacked jurisdiction to entertain anything, including the question of bail, as money laundering he is charged with is not a bailable offence.
She said that the case against the accused will be tried by the Economic, Corruption and Organised Crime Division of the High Court.
The lower court could try the matter only upon securing consent of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Under the circumstances, the court adjourned the case to February 25, 2020, for mention.
State Attorney Gloria Mwenda, for the prosecution, informed the court that the investigation is incomplete. Prosecuting, the trial attorney told the court that the accused committed the offences on diverse dates between January 1 and December 30, 2019 at various places within the City of Dar es Salaam.
She alleged that within the period in the city, the accused and other persons not in courts, jointly and together intentionally organised a criminal racket of money laundering.
The court heard that at various places in Dar es Salaam, jointly and together, the accused person with others not in court acquired 26,250 US dollars, which is equivalent to 60,375,000/-.
According to the prosecution, the accused knew that at the time of such acquisition, the money in question was proceeds of a predicate offence of obtaining money by false pretences.
It is alleged also that within the same period and places in Dar es Salaam, with intent to defraud, the advocate obtained the sum of money to one, Yasser Magdy Moawel Abdelhamad.
The prosecution told the court further that the accused person falsely pretended that he and others would sell him 25 tonnes of copper cathode, the fact which they knew to be false.
In the case involving 900m/-before Principal Resident Magistrate Huruma Shaidi, Papaa Msofe and Mganga are charged jointly with another Advocate Mwesigwa Mhingo, Wencelaus Mtui and Emmanuel Gang’ai, who are all businessmen and Josephine Haule, a businesswoman.
They are charged with leading organised crime, money laundering and illegally obtaining 900m/-from foreigners in a mineral deal. The prosecution informed the court that investigations into the case are also incomplete.
The magistrate adjourned the trial for mention on February 25, 2020. It is alleged that the accused committed the offences between December 2018 and September 2019.
It is alleged that within the same period, with intent to defraud, all accused persons obtained 300,000 US dollars, equivalent to 690m/- from Hubert Paschal Jean Camille, a French national by falsely pretending that they will sell him 200kg of gold minerals and export them to Portugal, while it was false.
The prosecution alleges that within the same period in Dar es Salaam, by false pretenses and with intent to defraud, all accused persons obtained 110,000 US dollars, equivalent to 253m/-from John Mahsson, who is Swedish national.
