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Another Tanzanian MP in court for soliciting bribe

Xinhua, April 2, 2016 Adjust font size:

Another Tanzanian Member of Parliament on the ticket of the ruling party-Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM)-appeared in court on Friday charged with soliciting bribe of 30 million Tanzanian shillings (about 15,000 U.S. dollars).

Richard Mganga Ndassa, a member of the parliamentary committee on capital and investments, was arraigned at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

The arraignment of Ndassa brought to four the number of MPs from the ruling party who have been charged in court by the east African nation's Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) for soliciting bribe.

On Thursday, the anti-corruption watchdog charged three MPs in the same court with soliciting bribe to the tune of 30 million Tanzanian shillings (about 15,000 dollars).

PCCB said in a statement all the three MPs were members of the parliamentary committee on local authorities' accounts.

PCCB prosecutors Maghera Ndimbo and Emmanuel Jacob told the fully packed court that the three MPs asked for the 15,000 dollars bribe from Gairo district council executive director.

The prosecutors said they asked for the bribe to enable the parliamentary committee on local authorities' accounts to approve the district's financial report without discussing it.

On Friday, PCCB prosecutors Dennis Lekayo and Emmanuel Jacob told the court that Ndassa asked a 15,000 dollar bribe from the Managing Director of Tanzania Electric Supply Company (TANESCO).

The prosecutors said the MP promised the TANESCO boss to help him in convincing other MPs to approve TANESCO's report for 2015/2016 without discussing its contents.

PCCB Director General, Valentino Mlowola, said the anti-corruption drive did not focus only on MPs but all public servants who would be found engaged in corruption.

"But we are still investigating other MPs who are accused of soliciting bribes before we send them to court," he said.

Last month, the Speaker of the National Assembly, Job Ndugai, removed from their positions three MPs who were parliamentary committee chairpersons and two vice-chairpersons following the reports that some of them had solicited bribes from public firms. Endit