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Keep cool on graft charges, Govt tells foreign missions
2007-09-25 10:54:54
By Judica Tarimo
The government yesterday told foreign members of the diplomatic corps accredited to Tanzania to exercise patience, as an auditing company probes charges of mismanagement of public funds in the Bank of Tanzania.
Philip Marmo, Minister of State in the President`s Office overseeing Good Governance, told The Guardian in an exclusive interview in Dar es Salaam yesterday that there was little the government could do before the auditing firm, Ernst & Young, completed its assignment.
``Any action in between could pre-empt the outcome of the on-going scrutiny, so foreign envoys should wait for the completion of investigations,`` he said.
The minister`s comments follow remarks by some foreign ambassadors based in Dar es Salaam who have been blaming the government for not responding to graft allegations recently levelled against a number of high-ranking public figures.
Karel Van Kesteren, the Netherlands Ambassador, late last week called on the government to respond to corruption charges incriminating national leaders and other politicians, saying the response would clear the air over the charges and send positive signals to the outside world on the government’s commitment to the war on graft.
Kesteren, the second foreign envoy in a matter of weeks to make such a call, said that delays in government action could delay aid commitments by donor countries as well as make some investors reconsider their future cooperation with Tanzania.
``I am very concerned about the corruption allegations we read so much about these days. There are allegations related to the Bank of Tanzania and the construction costs of BoT’s twin towers.
There is a strong indication of corrupt practices related to the management of the natural resources of the country,” he explained.
Earlier this month, British High Commissioner Philip Parham also challenged the government to address corruption and other pressing issues of public interest with increased seriousness.
He said it was not proper for democracies like Tanzania to remain silent on controversial and other crucial issues of public interest.
But the minister played down the envoys` remarks as ``mere talk``, adding that it was easy for anybody to talk about corruption but actually combating it was a lot more difficult.
``There are laid down diplomatic procedures to follow if foreign envoys are really serious about submitting their concerns or reservations to the (host) government.
They ought to follow these procedures instead of publicly talking about perceived corruption involving public officials generally,`` Marmo pointed out.
The minister would not be drawn into saying whether the government was planning to seek legal action following the corruption claims, made recently by a section of opposition party leaders.
``As I have had previous occasion to say, there are financial investigations going on in the central bank. Going or not going to court will largely be determined by the auditor`s findings,`` he clarified.
``It seems some people are overly anxious to see the government act on these allegations revolving around the Bank of Tanzania. Let`s be patient and allow the experts we have engaged to get to the truth of the matter first before we take any follow-up action,`` he added.
The opposition leaders have been going around the country accusing the government of mismanaging public funds and insisting that the main villain is central bank governor Daudi Ballali.
To prove their point, they have released a list that also includes the names of top-ranking government officials they link to involvement in corrupt practices.
But Political Affairs and Civil Societies Relations minister Kingunge Ngombale-Mwiru, CCM Publicity Secretary Aggrey Mwanri and a line-up of other ruling party stalwarts have repeatedly dismissed the accusations as baseless and unfounded.
Following pressure from academics, legislators and the public, the government through the National Board of Auditors and Accountants commissioned the international audit firm Ernst & Young to investigate BoT financial scandal allegations.
Controller and Auditor General Ludovick Utouh says the auditors will assess the central bank`s internal controls to ascertain the validity of the disputed payments, checking whether the transactions in question are bona fide, were conducted in accordance with agreed arrangements and have supporting documents.
Former US envoy Michael Retzer had also voiced concern on grand corruption in Tanzania before leaving for home.
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