CALL FOR PROSECUTION AS AG WEREMA RESIGNS

Attorney General Frederick Werema, whose resignation was announced yesterday.  PHOTO | FILE

Dar es Salaam. Attorney General Frederick Werema resigned yesterday over the Tegeta escrow scandal, prompting immediate calls for him to be charged in court.

Mr Werema becomes the first casualty of the scandal involving the controversial withdrawal of Sh306 billion from the central bank to facilitate an equally questionable acquisition of Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL) by Pan Africa Power Solution (PAP).  

The erstwhile AG wrote to President Jakaya Kikwete yesterday to say he was stepping down due to his role in the matter.

Mr Werema was blamed for facilitating the withdrawal of the billions of shillings from BoT and its subsequent sharing of the same among top public officials, politicians and numerous influential individuals. 

A statement sent to newsrooms last evening by the State House Director of Public Communication, Mr Salva Rweyemamu, said the President have accepted Mr Werema’s decision to quit. The AG who was known for his hard hitting statements in Parliament vacated office yesterday.

“In his resignation letter, Mr Werema said he was stepping down because his advice on the Tegeta escrow was misunderstood and that it had created a turbulence,” said Mr Rweyemamu.

“The President has thanked Mr Justice Werema for his public service that was honest and diligent,” said Mr Rweyemamu in the short statement. There was no indication in the statement if President Kikwete would  take action on the other public officials implicated in the multi-billion scam.

The AG’s move comes nearly a month after the issuance of Parliament resolutions that proposed his sacking and that of the permanent secretary for Energy, Mr Eliachim Maswi, following the loss of the funds, some of which was public cash.

The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that tabled the damning escrow report accused Mr Werema of giving the government wrong advice which led to the withdrawal of the money and subjected Tanesco and the government into huge losses.

According to PAC, Mr Justice Werema failed to dully discharge his responsibilities of conducting due diligence on PAP, which presented forged documents claiming it had purchased seven shared of Machmar of Malaysia, a co-owner of IPTL with VIP Engineering of Tanzania.

The AG advised the ministry of Energy and Minerals, as well as Bank of Tanzania, to release the escrow money to PAP despite a negative report by his own emissaries to Malaysia who found the PAP deal as suspect. Yesterday, PAC chairman Zitto Kabwe told The Citizen that he was shocked to hear Judge Werema say his advice was misunderstood.

“He was supposed to be sacked much earlier and taken to court for abuse of public office. If President will not do so, I believe the next president will drag him to court to face charges of abuse of office,” said Mr Kabwe. Kigoma South MP Mr David Kafulila who had a nasty fallout with the AG in Parliament over the escrow debate, said Mr Werema should not only be charged in court but should also be made to pay back the lost public funds.

Mr Kafulila asked President Kikwete to sack the remaining culprits as proposed by Parliament.

“They must be kicked out and charged immediately. If that won’t happen, than we will have set a wrong precedent that public leaders can steal public money, resign and remain untouched as if nothing happened,” said Mr Kafulila.

Additional reporting by Athmani Mtulya

CREDIT SOURCE: THE CITIZEN