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House wants court action on Richmond accomplices
2008-02-16 09:28:47
By Bilham Kimati, Dodoma
The parliamentary select committee that unearthed gross embezzlement of public funds through the Richmond Development Company LLC contract has proposed court action against all those implicated in the saga.
Winding up the debate yesterday, the committee chairman, Harrison Mwakyembe, said since Richmond falsely presented itself as having been registered in the USA, its proprietors and all collaborators should face justice.
``The select committee was just a fact finding organ. It was not a decision making team. The committee did not recommend the resignation of former Prime Minister Lowassa but rather asked him to examine the turn of events and check out whether his credibility in the House and the country at large had been affected after it was found out that he influenced the tendering process. He therefore opted to resign,`` said Mwakyembe.
He said complaints made by Lowassa that he was condemned unheard were irrelevant because a leader could resign for mistakes he had personally committed or those done by people under his authority.
Other recommendations endorsed by the House include review of the law governing the operations of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority.
It was recommended that the institution should be placed under the President`s Office and be accountable to Parliament so as to seal off the possibilities of being manipulated.
The committee further proposed that all power generation agreements like Richmond/Dowans Holdings SA should be reviewed and be terminated so as to help the country utilize its resources for promoting the people’s development.
The committee also resolved that Attorney General Johnson Mwanyika was liable for punishment for not being alert in monitoring what was happening in his office, until the dubious contract was signed.
``His role in the Government Negotiating Team was passive. He should therefore be held responsible,`` Dr Mwakyembe said.
Commenting on allegations that the business registration authority, BRELA allowed the swapping of genuine files of Richmond with fake ones, Mwakyembe said BRELA should submit a report to the relevant ministry on weekly basis and copies of the files be preserved by the government separately.
As for the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau, the committee suggested punitive measures be taken against all officials who produced a doctored report which lacked dates and facts on the flawed Richmond contract.
The committee also advised the government to avoid commissioning agents when purchasing equipment for major national projects as they inflated the market prices in order to reap windfall profits at the expense of taxpayers.
The most heartbreaking factor experienced when collecting evidence, said the chairman, was the inculcated fear of government officials, including professionals.
``Time has come for this House to enact a law that would protect junior officers when giving information to relevant authorities for the interest of the nation. We have listened to people who merely sang a common song which they had no knowledge about when they were summoned by the committee. This is dangerous for the country,`` said Mwakyembe.
The committee advised Bunge to open up a library where all government contracts signed would be preserved for reference.
Earlier, a member of the select committee, Nzega MP Lucas Selelii, informed the House that the report had played the role of a mirror.
``If the mirror shows you that your face is dirty, don’t break it but remove the dirt,`` said Selelii.
Chief Whip and minister of state, Prime Minister`s Office, Philip Marmo, commended the committee for a well-researched report, adding that the government would implement the proposal, including taking legal actions against the perpetrators if need be.
``The government will be more careful when responding to national disasters such as the acute power shortage that offered a loophole to some dishonest individuals to capitalize on the situation and profiteer at the expense of the nation,`` said Marmo.
The Committee’s vice chairperson, Stella Manyanya, said the public needed nothing but the truth. ``I commend the spirit shown by all legislators who opted to stand together to defend the national interests.
A day before presentation of the report, some MPs lobbied to make sure that the report was not presented. Shame on them. Justice will always prevail,`` said Manyanya.
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