Four immigration officers charged

Musoma. The Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) in Mara Region has arraigned four Immigration department officials and charged them with soliciting and taking bribes from foreigners claimed to live and work in the region without having valid papers.

The accused were brought before the Musoma Resident Magistrate Court where they were charged with three counts of breaching the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act, 2007.

Those charged were identified as: Mr Mcharo Gibson, who is the in-charge of investigation unit, Mr Charles Maghashi, Mr Alex Madoshi and Mr Wilfred Mseti.

PCCB prosecutor Eric Kiwia told the Court that the accused jointly when conducting inspections to identify foreigners working in the region unlawfully, they allegedly solicited a bribe amounting to Sh700,000 from the owner of Kuku Ni Mali Primary School in Tarime District after finding three teachers working at the facility without holding valid papers.

He narrated that the four officials, after completing their investigations, arrested the three teachers and decided to take them to Musoma but when they were on the way that was when they demanded for the bribe from the school owner so that they would release the teachers.

He claimed that the four committed the offence on May 11, this year adding that they also promised to not file charges against the school owner who they wanted to instructed to send them money via mobile money transfer services.

Mr Kiwia told the court that the four received Sh347,600 via mobile phone so that they would release the foreign teachers they were holding.

“However, they did not take the teachers to Musoma, they left them at Makutano in Butiama District after they had received the amount through mobile money transfer services,” explained Mr Kiwia.

He said that the amount was sent to the officers by the school owner and relatives of the detained teachers so that the latter would be released.