THE
Kisutu Resident Magistrate Court yesterday adjourned the abuse of
position and causing a loss of more than $43,267,702 (over 86bn/-) case
facing former Air Tanzania Company Limited (ATCL) Managing Director
David Mattaka and two others until April 25, this year.
Kisutu Resident Magistrate Court
The
case was adjourned before Senior Resident Magistrate Thomas Simba who
was seating in place of the presiding magistrate Respicius Mwijage who
was attending other official duties.
The two former senior officials with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), who are charged with Mattaka are Ramadhan Mlinga, the former Chief Executive Officer and Bertha Soka, who was the Legal Secretary.
The ruling came despite the prosecution claims that investigations into the case were not complete.
According to the prosecution it was alleged that, in October 2007 Mattaka intentionally abused his position as ATCL boss by signing an agreement for the national carrier to lease an Airbus A320-214 aircraft from Wallis Trading Inc, a Liberian company, without following proper tender procedures in compliance with public procurement laws.
“This amounted to negligence on Mattaka’s part and caused the government, as guarantor of the deal, to suffer a pecuniary loss of $42,459,316.12 which ATCL owed Wallis Trading Inc,” the prosecution charged.
Mattaka is also alleged to have gone on to disregard technical advice in signing several lease acceptance certificates for the same aircraft, eventually causing ATCL as a company to suffer further losses of $772,402.08 (paid to the Aeromantenimiento, S.A company as maintenance service charges) and $35,984.82 (paid to Lantal Textiles, Inc for the purchase of upholstery, carpet and drape material for the same aircraft).
The former ATCL chief is being charged under the Economic and Organized Crime Control Act (Cap.200 R.E 2002) and the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act of 2007.
On their part, Mlinga and Soka who are charged in only one count, it was alleged that on March 19, 2008, with intent to deceive, the accused forged minutes purporting to show that the PPRA held a meeting to discuss an application for retrospective approval of the ATCL aircraft lease agreement.
Mlinga and Soka are out on bail while Mattaka is remanded
The two former senior officials with the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), who are charged with Mattaka are Ramadhan Mlinga, the former Chief Executive Officer and Bertha Soka, who was the Legal Secretary.
The ruling came despite the prosecution claims that investigations into the case were not complete.
According to the prosecution it was alleged that, in October 2007 Mattaka intentionally abused his position as ATCL boss by signing an agreement for the national carrier to lease an Airbus A320-214 aircraft from Wallis Trading Inc, a Liberian company, without following proper tender procedures in compliance with public procurement laws.
“This amounted to negligence on Mattaka’s part and caused the government, as guarantor of the deal, to suffer a pecuniary loss of $42,459,316.12 which ATCL owed Wallis Trading Inc,” the prosecution charged.
Mattaka is also alleged to have gone on to disregard technical advice in signing several lease acceptance certificates for the same aircraft, eventually causing ATCL as a company to suffer further losses of $772,402.08 (paid to the Aeromantenimiento, S.A company as maintenance service charges) and $35,984.82 (paid to Lantal Textiles, Inc for the purchase of upholstery, carpet and drape material for the same aircraft).
The former ATCL chief is being charged under the Economic and Organized Crime Control Act (Cap.200 R.E 2002) and the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act of 2007.
On their part, Mlinga and Soka who are charged in only one count, it was alleged that on March 19, 2008, with intent to deceive, the accused forged minutes purporting to show that the PPRA held a meeting to discuss an application for retrospective approval of the ATCL aircraft lease agreement.
Mlinga and Soka are out on bail while Mattaka is remanded
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