By The Citizen Reporter
The Citizen Correspondent
Dar es Salaam. Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) cadre Mr Rajabu Maranda and two other Bank of Tanzania (BoT) employees were yesterday joined in External Payment Arrears (EPA) account Sh5.9 billion-theft case.

Ms Esther Komu who served, as deputy director for Debt and the former secretary to the bank Mr Bosco Kimela will now be tried jointly in a case facing two brothers, Mr Ajay Somani and Jai Somani.  State Attorney Frederick Manyanda told the Kisutu Resident magistrates court that between December 2004 and May 2005, Mr Kimela and Ms Komu conspired to steal the money, causing a big loss to the Bank.

Mr Maranda is charged with four counts of conspiracy, forgery, uttering forged documents and obtaining money by false pretence.He is serving a 5 years jail sentence after the court found him in May guilty of stealing Sh1.8 billion also from EPA.

Mr Manyanda said that Mr Maranda forged documents and presented them to Baroda Bank introducing Mr Thabit Mapunda as a Liquidity Services shareholder knowing it was untrue.

The state lawyer charged that between September 2 and December 13, 2005 the suspects; Mr Maranda, Ajay and Jai obtained Sh3.9 billion from BoT after deceiving that M/s Societe Alsascienne De Construction De Machines Textiles of France has assigned them liquidity services to collect its debt.

The court granted bail to Mr Kimela and Ms Komu on condition of signing a Sh2 billion bond each and present two sureties who have to jointly sign a Sh1.5 billion bond.

Mr Maranda remained silent when the court requested him to deposit in court Sh1.6 billion cash or title deed of a similar amount to secure bail. His co-accused fulfilled bail terms and was released.

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