Senior KNCU officials face economic sabotage charges

What you need to know:

The officials are accused of occasioning KNCU losses totalling Sh4.5 billion. They allegedly committed the offence between 2014 and 2017.

The officials are accused of occasioning KNCU losses totalling Sh4.5 billion. They allegedly committed the offence between 2014 and 2017. Those who appeared before Resident Magistrate Pamela Mazengo in Moshi are KNCU chairman Aloyce Kitau, vice chairman Hatibu and general manager Honest Temba. Others are former Tanganyika Coffee Curing Company Ltd (TCCCO) board chairman Maynard Swai and former TCCCO general manager Andrew Kleruu. The accused were brought to court under tight security. State Attorney Abdallah Chavula told the court that on diverse dates the accused made illegal payments to Oceanic Link Shipping Services Limited totalling Sh2.9 billion, purportedly as compensation. They were also accused of abusing their positions by purchasing coffee processing plants from Brazafric Company of Brazil without following public procurement procedures, causing KNCU to incur a Sh1.67 billion loss. The accused were not allowed to enter a plea since the court lacks jurisdiction to hear economic sabotage cases.