Curbing corruption still a herculean task, says Magufuli

Dar es Salaam. President Magufuli on Thursday, March 28, was categorical that he would not relent on his war against corruption as he pointed out incidents when he took the initiative to block corrupt deals.

Speaking at State House in Dar es Salaam, the president said corruption was still rampant in public offices, citing a recent scenario where he blocked a move by government officials who had proposed a Sh200million deal to re-paint a government jet.

Late last year, the President directed that a jet, owned by Government Flights Agency, be rebranded and given to Air Tanzania Limited (ATCL) to fly passengers on domestic flights.

However, it came to the attention of the President that rebranding, including repainting was to cost Sh200 million abroad, in what he has termed “a corrupt deal.”

 He did not mention the country in which the aircraft was planned to be repainted.

“I have since stopped the deal and the plane was painted at Sh5million (here in Tanzania),’’ said the President in a televised speech at State House where he received a 2018 progress report the from Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB).

During the same event, Tanzania’s Ambassador to Cuba, Valentino Mlowola was sworn in.

“I was told the aircraft would be flown to another country. I asked why it should not be repainted in Tanzania and I was told there wasn’t an expert who would do that. That’s not possible,’’ he revealed.

President Magufuli directed PCCB to tackle corrupting head-on and without bias. “I know cases of corruption that have involved members of my party, CCM. Just recently, a CCM cadre here in Dar es Salaam was arrested in a Sh5mllion bribery attempt,’’ revealed the President.

Without pointing out a specific company, the President said he was aware of a Sh8billion tax dispute in which a businessman who is alleged to have evaded tax is being defended. He also noted that there are companies which were frequently using tax refunds.

“There are companies that are over-invoicing tax refunds for their own gains. They are big companies. This is corruption,’’ he noted.

“There is grand corruption and petty corruption. All this is affecting people’s welfare,’’ he said.

The President pointed out a case in which a district executive director is alleged to have fraudulently sold land worth Sh1billion to his fellow staff. This land, he said, was in Bagamoyo District, Coast Region. “This person hasn’t been taken to court and there is no evidence that he has returned the money to the owners,’’ noted the President.