Opposition`s `list of shame` now centres on...

Fiery opposition legislator Willibrod Slaa yesterday revealed what he called the contents of what he had promised to be a second list of the forces behind grand corruption in Tanzania, as compiled by opposition parties.

The first one was issued some weeks ago and centred only on individuals, mainly heavyweights in the public service, while the second one deals exclusively with corporate bodies.

The so-called lists of shame partly revolve around controversy over mining contracts with foreign investors as well as scandal allegations involving the accounts of the Bank of Tanzania, both of which have triggered differences of opinion between the government and a section of the opposition camp.

Accompanied by lawyer Tundu Lissu, the MP told a meeting of a coalition of four opposition parties that the second list involves phantom companies, believed to have been unlawfully and dubiously paid by the central bank for `shadowy` projects or activities.

Among those whose names appear on the current list are a finance company managed by three foreigners as sole directors, a government-owned firm, and three commercial banks under foreign management teams.

Slaa, who is just back from a tour of the US he says helped him learn more about the magnitude of corruption in Tanzania, alleged that the banks named were involved in dubious transactions between the central bank, the finance company and the government-owned firm.

The Karatu MP told his audience, comprising mainly journalists and members of the coalition members, that the transactions ended in the siphoning of undisclosed amounts of money from the government coffers.

He alleged that the central bank and the Finance ministry on separate occasions corruptly paid the finance firm a total of 10.484bn/- in a span of four months � specifically between August 1 and December 10, 2005 � and that the company entered into another dubious transaction with the government-owned firm.

There is documentary evidence that on May 1, 2004 the finance firm opened a bank account in Dar es Salaam at one of the commercial banks named.

`I am wondering how the company managed to open an account on International Workers Day (May Day),` noted Slaa, who is also Secretary General of the opposition Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema) - possibly referring to the fact that May Day is a public holiday and most banks are usually closed.

`It`s surprising to note that the company operated its account at zero digit for a whole year. As if that is not strange enough, it is not on the list of financial institutions in the country as per Bank of Tanzania report of August 21, this year,` added the legislator.

Slaa further alleged that the file on the said company that is supposed to be at the Business Registration and Licensing Authority (BRELA) is currently nowhere to be seen, while initially BRELA reports showed it was established in March 2004 and the names of its two Tanzanian shareholders were given.

He added that other documents indicate the government-owned firm implicated fulfilled registration procedures in February 2006 but opened an account with the same commercial bank named as long ago as January 1, 2003 � New Year`s Day and another public holiday.

`For a whole four months from August 1 to December 12, 2005, the government-owned firm was corruptly paid by the central bank a total of 4.742bn/-. Documents also show the same firm then paid two other companies a total of 3.363bn/-. This is a corruption syndicate that uses highly sophisticated techniques,` contended Lissu.

According to the lawyer, there has never been such a government-owned company and the one mentioned has no physical address and personnel to prove its presence although it is indicated that it has four stakeholders.

Slaa recently produced a list of senior government officials, among them cabinet ministers, saying they were masterminds of grand corruption and embezzlement of public funds.

The opposition coalition gave the government 28 days to set up an independent commission to probe the allegations, failing which they would `decide on the next step`.

But the government has dismissed the charges as baseless, while some of those implicated have said they would seek legal redress for defamation.

Some high-profile members of the foreign diplomatic corps accredited to Tanzania have called on the government to respond to the allegations and act against those implicated.

However, the government has responded by calling for patience and understanding, insisting that the relevant State organs were continuing with investigations into the allegations.