Clear your sugar at the Dar Port, dealers ordered

Dar es Salaam. The Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) has directed the dealers with 1,840 tonnes of sugar imported from Brazil at the Dar es Salaam Port to release the commodity to the market by tomorrow.

Briefing journalists at the port, PCCB acting investigations director Leonard Mtalai said the anti-corruption bureau had ordered that the dealers release the commodity to the Tanzanian market after they were satisfied that they had fulfilled legal requirements.

Yesterday the bureau together with Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) and the police conducted an inspection at Tanzania International Container Terminal Services Limited (TICTS) where they found 70 containers with sugar.

Ambiguity arose, as initially it was claimed that the Mpendazoe MP, Mr Salim Turky and his business partner, Mr Haroon Zakaria were responsible for the cargo.

It was later established that the sugar actually belonged to Mr Zakaria’s son, Al-Naeem of Al-Naeem Enterprises Limited.

Mr Zakaria who claimed to be the general manager of the company and MP Turky were interrogated by PCCB officials.

TRA acting Customs Commissioner, Dr Joktan Kyamhanga, said Al-Naeem purchased the sugar, which was originally destined for Burundi, from another businessman in February.

The sugar was imported from Brazil.

Controversy emerged over when exactly the commodity was imported.

The PCCB claimed that the sugar was imported less than three months ago, while TICTS insisted that the cargo was imported over five months ago.

In a related development, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa revealed that the government has imported 11,957 tonnes of sugar and expects to import 70,000 tonnes in total.

Distribution of the imported sugar commences today.

The Premier said 2,000 tonnes would be distributed to northern regions, while the Lake Zone would receive 3,000 tonnes.

The southern, southern highlands and central zone regions would receive 2,000 tonnes each.

“Another 24,000 tonnes of sugar will arrive in the country this Friday and probably by Sunday it would have been off-loaded from the Dar es Salaam Port, he revealed.

Another 20,000 tonnes is expected by the end of this month.

He called upon members of the public not to worry about the scarcity of sugar that was being caused by a small group of people.

“The President has ordered that the people hoarding sugar must be arrested and the sugar distributed. However, we shall temporarily import sugar as our factories are expected to resume production this July,” he said.