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Leaders` family members now to declare property
2007-09-19 09:14:55
By Felister Peter
The government has said it will amend the law requiring public leaders to declare their wealth to make it cover their family members as well.
Philip Marmo, Minister of State in the President`s Office overseeing Good Governance, told journalists in Dar es Salaam yesterday that most leaders have been under-declaring their property and thus defaulting on a legal requirement meant to ensure ethical conduct in the public service.
`There is a need to amend the law because sometimes leaders register some of their property under the names of children or relatives - some less than 18 years of age,` he explained, adding: `There will be no more cheating once the law is amended. It will also help the secretariat on ethical conduct for public leaders to reach those not included in the wealth declaration list under the current law.`
The plan is for the amended law to declare that there will be special forms where the respective leaders and their spouses and children will give details of the property they own.
`All public leaders must declare their assets because it is part of their accountability to the community. Failure to do so is a criminal offence,` stated the minister.
He said: `The current economic situation in the country allows any person to become an entrepreneur. Therefore, there is nothing inherently bad or wrong for a public leader or his/her family members to get rich, provided that all property in question is obtained legally.`
Marmo noted that the property would include commercial buildings, banks and big businesses so long as the funds used are acquired from bank loans or other lawful means.
The amendment of the law intends to fight corruption at all levels by confiscating assets belonging to public leaders found to have acquired through corrupt means, he observed.
Elaborating, the minister said: `During the current confirmation exercise, the secretariat overseeing leaders` conduct has discovered that all property declared by public leaders was obtained legally and was in proportion to their incomes.`
He reported that the secretariat verified the property of about 30 per cent of the 6,200 public leaders in active service countrywide in fiscal year 2006/2007 and that a similar exercise covering 300 leaders was lined up for next year.
The current law excludes junior officers in the military and the police force from declaring their wealth.
Meanwhile, President Jakaya Kikwete is expected to launch a national ethics fund to be sponsored by the World Bank later this month.
The fund would help the secretariat conduct its activities more smoothly and effectively as well as cover more public leaders, according to Marmo.
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