Government move on
Richmond welcome,
but Adam Gire
won’t go solo!.
EDITOR
DAR ES SALAAM
We compliment the JK government for the bold move. And we have all the expectation that the action on Gire is a curtain raiser in the entire Richmond saga, that would eventually be closed after all suspects have been brought before the court of law.
We have great faith in the government’s cautious move, for investigations are tedious and all evidence requires proper and organized gathering, lining up of witnesses and, of course, proper identification of suspects to be arraigned. Short of that, one would be calling for a boomerang.
The Richmond scam, which began in 2006, was indeed a nightmare to the administration of Jakaya Kikwete. It brought disrepute to the government through the involvement of key officials in the scandal.
Gire, undoubtedly a key figure behind the controversial Richmond Development Company LLC of Texas in the United States, is in the dock facing criminal case number 15 of 2009, brought before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate´s Court in Dar es Salaam on Tuesday.
We know that the case has been under intense investigation. Now that it has finally landed in court, we hail the president and Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda, who have assured Tanzanians that the government was strong, and that nobody would be left off the hook be it in EPA, Richmond or any other scam. The events of the last few weeks have vindicated that resolve.
JK is on record for saying he wants a corruption-free Tanzania and it is this reason that leads us to believe that the investigators would also join other suspects with Gire.
Joining of cases is a normal legal procedure as it was evidenced recently when former ministers Daniel Yona and Basil Mramba were joined with former Treasury permanent secretary Gray Mgonja to face the same charges. We are raising this pertinent issue because we wish to allay fears that Gire would be turned a sacrificial lamb, while other key suspects who abetted the crime are let to go Scot free!
The Richmond scam and its consequent fallout was immense on the country, government, leadership and the people. It has indeed left a serious dent on the standing of the government, while its impact on electricity tariffs and the economy will never be fully erased.
The parliamentary committee on Richmond, led by the Kyela MP, Dr Harrison Mwakyembe, exposed all the accomplices and went a step further by naming names.
The probe raised the issue of the briefcase company getting special favours from ’higher authorities’ who went further to award it a power generating contract, contrary to the Public Procurement Act. They also facilitated the availability of a letter of credit from a local bank to order a thermal generator when it had been rejected by banks in its own country-- the United States.
The probe recommended political and, if possible, criminal accountability for Energy and Minerals minister Nazir Karamagi and his predecessor, Dr. Ibrahim Msabaha. The then Prime Minister, Edward Lowassa, also stepped down because of the scam and Igunga legislator Rostam Aziz was also not spared by the probe team.
An independent report, prepared by the state-run Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), makes it clear that there was remarkable ’’political influence and interference by ’’higher authorities’’ in government in awarding the tender to Richmond.
While we remain with our fingers crossed, we believe Gire’s arraignment has opened a Pandora’s box. Now the government has crossed the Rubicon. Let every Tanzanian sit down and enjoy the drama as more suspects take turns in the box and the facts behind the Richmond scam are laid bare.
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