TWO CHARGED FOR VOICES OVER INTERNET PROTOCOL [VoIP] FRAUD IN TANZANIA

http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/44288-two-indians-in-court-over-fraud-occasioning-4bn-loss 

 

 

Published on Wednesday, 29 April 2015 01:34

Written by FAUSTINE KAPAMA 

 

TWO suspects, who are Indian nationals, the General Manager of Zanzibar Beach Resort, Jamal Ashar (59) (left) and Chief Accountant of the Hotel, Kalray Patel appears before Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam yesterday facing six charges under Economic Organised Crimes Act, including illegal importation and operation of Electronic Communication Equipment without a licence, causing a loss amounting to 4,357,080,000 /- to the United Republic of Tanzania and the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA). The suspects were remanded in custody until 12th of May, this year, when the case will come for another mention. (Photo by Semu Mwakyanjala, TCRA)

TWO Indian nationals, Kalrav Patel and Kamal Ashar, have been charged with several counts relating to fraudulent use of communication network and occasioning loss of over 4bn/- to government and telecommunications industry.

They were arraigned before the Kisutu Court in Dar es Salaam and were not allowed to enter plea to the charges before Principal Resident Magistrate Cyprian Mkeha.

The two were remanded in custody until May 12, 2015 when the case will be mentioned as investigations into the matter were still going on, according to the prosecution led by Principal State Attorney Tumanini Kweka, who was assisted by Joannes Karungura from Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA).

Other counts include operating electronic communications without a licence, use of unapproved electronic equipments, importation and installation of electronic communication equipment without a licence and use of unapproved electronic equipments.

The prosecution alleged that at unknown dates this year in the city, knowingly Patel and Ashar imported into Tanzania some electronic communication equipments, which are Voices over Internet Protocol (VoIP) gateways and Cisco Router without having a licence issued by TCRA.

According to the prosecutor, the accused persons, at unknown date within Zanzibar Municipality, installed and maintained the said equipment without a licence and that between February 25 and April 18, 2015 they allegedly used the equipment which was not approved by the Authority.

The prosecution alleged further that within the same period, the accused unlawfully operated an international gateway to receive and transmit telecommunication traffic without a licence issued by the Authority.

It is alleged further that between February 25 and April 18, 2015, in Zanzibar Municipality, unlawfully and with intent to avoid payments, all accused transmitted international telecommunications traffic without using a gateway licensed by TCRA.

The prosecution further alleged that within the same period, being unlicensed operators, Patel and Ashar terminated international telecommunications traffic by using unlicensed GSM VoIP gateways, thereby causing a pecuniary loss of  Tshs.4,357,080,000/- to the government and TCRA.

EXPELLING HASSAN NASSORO MOYO FROM CCM IS WRONG

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS: Expelling Moyo from CCM is wrong

Mzee Hassan Nassor Moyo: “They can take me out of the CCM. But they cannot take out my love for my motherland, Zanzibar.” PHOTO  | FILE 

By Salim Said Salim; barasteki@gmail.com

Posted  Sunday, April 26  2015 at  11:25

IN SUMMARY

·         Recently, Chama Cha Mapinduzi in Zanzibar expelled one of its founding members, Mr Hassan Nassor Moyo. This was a tough measure, but what does it mean to some Zanzibaris?

Zanzibar. The recent expulsion from CCM of a veteran Zanzibar politician, Mr Hassan Nasssor Moyo, who served in different ministerial portfolios for nearly four decades both in the Isles and Union governments is another testimony that the line which differentiate criticism and treason in the ruling party is very thin.

Perhaps one will be absolutely right when he says even a modern laboratory device which detects bacteria or virus can’t see the difference between the two within CCM.

His is because once you have an opinion which is different from the extremists who  seem to have a stronger voice within the party you are reduced to a 17th century plantation labourer who was then ordered to pick his sack which had his farming tools (meaning that was a declaration that he was sacked from the farm).

The expulsions of those considered “party rebels” has a long history, both on the Mainland and in Zanzibar. On the Mainland those who questioned the party supremacy over the laws of the land were considered as rebels.

The long list of those expelled include the seven MPs who questioned the subordination of  Parliament to Tanu’s National Executive Committee in 1968 and  fomer External Affairs Minister Oscar Kambona.

In Zanzibar, even those who were in the short list of less than a dozen people who formed the Afro Shrazi Party (ASP), like Mdungi Ussi was expelled from the party and disappeared . Others were Othman Sharif who was the right hand man of the ASP leader and Isles first President, Abeid Karume, Isles Vice President Abdullah Kassim Hanga and several ministers of the first and second cabinets of the Karume regime (1964-72).

Others expelled by CCM in 1984 and without seeking the mandate of the people of Zanzibar for being “ rebels” was the Isles Second President, Aboud Jumbe Mwinyi, his Chief Minister, Ramadhan Haji Faki and others.

In 1987 it was the turn of Seif  Sharif Hamad, then  Chief Minister (now Zanzibar’s First Vice President), some ministers and others senior top CCM officials to be directed to pick their sacks and go.

Only few months back, Mansour Yusuf Himid, the brother-in-law of Isles retired Predent Amani Karume and whose father was on the frontline in the groups which attacked the police barracks to overthrow the sultan and his coalition government on the eve of Januray 12, 1964 was shown the door for being a “rebel and a reactionary” because he advocated more autonomy for Zanzibar within the union.

Now it has come for Moyo who worked tirelessly to end the political animosity that has cost Zanzibar hundreds of lives and limbs since the introduction of multi-party politics two decades which rsulted with the formation of a government of national unity in Zanzibar to be told “go away”.

Some political analysts feel that the trend of expelling those considered rebels simply because they differ with extremists who enjoy taking CCM for a ride is what haunts the ruling party. But Moyo who has repeatedly campaigned for more autonomy for Zanzibar with union looks at the move to expel him from CCM was “vengeful and fruitless” and vowed that he will not apply a reverse gear to his campaign for Zanzibar to get a fair deal in the union and would continue to fight racist, homophobic and discriminatory links that some CCM conservatives in the Isles propagate.

“They can take me out of the CCM. But they cannot take out my love for my motherland, Zanzibar,” he said.

Those who look at Moyo’s case as the expulsion of an individual are making a big mistake. He has hundreds of followers, sympathisers and admirers, especially among the youths, for his appeal to Zanzibaris to put interests of the islands before those of their political parties or football clubs. Last year when he spoke in Zanzibar to appeal to Zanzibaris not go back to politics of hatred and animosity, Moyo looked like a shadow of people like Mahatma Gandhi of India, Martin Luther King Jr of Uted States or Nelson Mandela of South Africa.

He told the audience: “Those in the government of national unity and outside must work together in the interests of Zanzibar and not their political parties. At ech stage of development it may be necessary for us to pass through brief and sometimes a long curse of apprenticeship before we able to go to the next one.

“We may have two, three or a dozen different views, but as far as unity of Zanzibar and its prosperity is concerned, we have to speak with one voice. There is no scope for difference of opinion on this matter. We can argue about the approaches and methods. When we were fighting for independence and later forced us to revolt we stumbled and failed as we faced heart breaking reverses. But we rose and marched again. In the same way today we have to face the challenges ahead of us as one, no matter to which political party we belong to”.

Now Moyo is out of CCM, but not out of Zanzibar or Tanzania for that matter. His words of wisdom and appeal for political reconciliation should not be ignored. Whether we like it or not he is a force to reckon with. The conservatives should not think being expelled from CCM is just like the expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Those who think they have won in their desire to put aside those who frustrate their selfish political motives are making a big mstake. They will one day in the not far distant future  realise what they did is nothing more than writing a bad bank cheque that will bounce and leave them disappointed for not realising their dream of trying once again to divide the people of Zanzibar like heaps of tomatoes on sale at the market. But all in all, the sacking of the Isles veteran politician and peace make should serve as a lesson to Tanzanians not to agree to be haunted by the rotten legacy of refusing to tolerate views to which one does not agree with.

We must agree to differ in opinions, but move forward as one for the betterment of our country. We can only this we allow the voices of rebels with a cause to heard and respected.

SCHOOL FUNDS NOT REMITTED PROPERLY - THEN WHY PUNISH WHISTLEBLOWERS !!!!

 

 SCHOOL  FUNDS  NOT REMITTED PROPERLY  !!!

From the DAILY NEWS,  TANZANIA.   28 April, 2015.

http://www.touch.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/44237-school-funds-not-remitted-properly

 

Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Jumanne Sagini

 

THE government will conduct a pilot study in July,  2015, whereas capitation funds will be sent directly to a chosen sample of secondary boarding schools instead of municipalities as it is the situation at present.

Speaking to reporters in Dar es Salaam, the Permanent Secretary (PS) in the Prime Minister’s Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), Jumanne Sagini, said the pilot study is aimed at finding a solution for delays of remittance of funds to schools.

He said ownership and accountability of the capitation fees remains a challenge, thus they will conduct the study after this year’s budget to see if the money will be spent as intended.

His comment followed a recent situation whereby some secondary schools were closed as there was no money to buy food for the students.

“The schools’ head- teachers were supposed to report the matter to the Districts Executive Directors that they were short of food and their intention to shut down the services and see their reaction, something they did not do,” he said.

They will also study the capitation fees rate being issued to see if the amount dished out meet the needs since the current rates were set a long time ago.

“Our experts will work on the rates to see if it is viable since the ones used were set when the secondary schools were under the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training,” he said.

The government issues a capitation fund of 25,000/- for secondary school students and 10,000/- for primary school pupils through the District Executive Director for accountability.

However, he said, there have been a number of complaints that the municipalities do not distribute them on time and at times they are diverted to other expenditures.

He said the government is sending the capitation funds through the municipal and district council executive directors for accountability and thus the fund should not be diverted to any other use.

Mr Sagini said the government has set aside 9 billion  in upkeep allowances for 31,056 newly employed teachers and 10,625 laboratory technicians who are supposed to report at their work station on May 1, 2015.

Moreover, he said, his ministry will announce the names of students selected to join Form Five by the end of May 1, 2015, that early arrangements can be made by both parties.

Unlike previously, he said, this time around, the 2,700 science and mathematics teachers have been stationed directly in schools with critical shortages while the municipalities have been tasked to handle the arts teachers.

He said the municipalities are supposed to pay the teachers seven-day upkeep allowances within a week or two from the date they reported at their work stations.

Sagini said the science and mathematics teachers had to be positioned in selected schools, since they were few compared to those for arts and economics subjects.

In the employment announced yesterday, he said, the government has recruited 11,795 certificate teachers, 6,596 diploma holders, 12,666 university graduates and 10,625 laboratory technicians.

He called upon the municipalities to organise a special arrangement through which the newly employed teachers will be received on May 1, 2015 despite the fact that it will be a public holiday.

Moreover, the employers have been tasked to ensure that all employment procedures are finalised by May 10, 2015 and the details sent to the civil service for salary arrangements.

EMAIL LETTER FROM THE BANK OF AMERICA ON CYBERCRIME INFLICTED ON ME !!!

THIS IS ONE OF THE LETTERS SENT TO ME BY THE BANK OF AMERICA  RESPONDING TO MY NUMEROUS  CLAIMS FOR RE-IMBURSEMENT OF MY $900 CONTAINED IN MY CAMPUSEDGE CHECKING ACCOUNT - 3048

This letter was given a reference no. KMM102878629158L0KM and signed by  ADRIAN  DOMINOS of Bank of America. 

Dear Zainab M. Mwatawala, 

Thank you for your inquiry dated 8/4/09  [4th August, 2009] regarding the unauthorized payments on your debit card. We will be happy to assist you. 

We regret that your request was not completed correctly. We strive to ensure that every customer's request  is handled appropriately the first time we are contacted.  You can be assured that we will make every effort to avoid  a similar situation  going forward. 

The dispute must be filed within 60 days  of the transaction posting to your account. For assistance, please  contact us directly at 1.800.432.1000.  We are available from 7.a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, 8. a.m.  to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, local time.

We show that the card ending in -2065 is currently blocked fro security purposes. This is due to excessive or unusual activity on  your  card.  To protect your account from possible fraudulent activity, temporary block was placed  on your card.  You will receive a written detailed explanation via U.S.  Mail.  [I NEVER DID].  
Please contact  us directly at 1.87.833.5617 so we can verify the questionable transactions with you.  If they are valid, we will remove the block from your debit card.  If the transactions are invalid, we will assist you with filing a claim  on those transactions  and issue you  another card.  If you are outside UNITED STATES, you can contact us at 602.597.2395.  We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. 

We apologise or any inconvenience this ay have caused.  If we may be of further assistance, please contact us again by email.  We value  you as a customer and appreciate your business.   Thank you for choosing BANK OF AMERICA  !!! 

Sincerely,  

Adrian Dominos 
BANK OF AMERICA.  

This letter was like rubbing salt on my wounds on the issue of my $900  which the BANK OF AMERICA has refused to pay me back  todate.  

My efforts at  complaining about the same to the USA  embassy in  Tanzania met with the response that BANK OF AMERICA is a corporate entity and thus they had nothing to do with them!!!

CYBERCRIME ACT CRITICAL IN TANZANIA - WE NEED TO READ THE CONTENTS FIRST !!!

http://www.touch.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/44236-cybercrime-act-is-highly-critical

 

 

Published on Tuesday, 28 April 2015 07:00

Written by ROSE ATHUMAN

Director of Presidential Communications, Mr Salva Rweyemamu

 

THE government has defended the recently passed Cybercrime Act 2015, saying that it will help in the security of the nation in issues pertaining to cyber crimes, including terrorism and not meant to infringe on the freedom of the public.

Addressing journalists in Dar es Salaam, the Director of Presidential Communications, Mr Salva Rweyemamu, said the nation is faced with significant challenges related to cybercrime and the new law soon to be signed by President Jakaya Kikwete will help address the challenges.

“There have been a lot of negative reports about the Cybercrime Act 2015, many expressing their feelings that it will infringe on the public’s freedom.

This is not the case. The ever growing and changing technology has brought with it a lot of cyber threats that will be addressed through this Act,” Mr Rweyemamu noted.

He noted that the Act will also address issues of cyber terrorism including potential damages and illegal interference of systems and computer related frauds.

“There is no country that does not have this law to protect and address cyber crime challenges. We must all understand that the security of the nation is first and foremost ... we must ensure the nation is protected from this new threat, paused by technology,” he explained.

The Cybercrime Act 2015 has touched on a number of cybercrimes which include Illegal Access, Illegal interception, Illegal data interference, Data espionage, Illegal system interference, Illegal device, Computer-related forgery, Computer-related fraud, Child pornography and Pornography and Identity related crimes, among others.

The cybercrime fear in the country has been increasing day by day with cries from all corners of people losing millions of shillings through bank accounts and mobile phones.

Government and private sector networks and person accounts have been hacked into and confidential and personal information accessed by cyber-criminals, which according to Mr Rweyemamu, will be addressed by the Cybercrime Act of 2015.

On the same note, the director of presidential communications said that recently President Kikwete was invited by King Abdulla II of Jordan to attend a one day consultation meeting on terrorism challenges facing the Horn of Africa.

Mr Rweyemamu clarified that the president did not publicise the meeting because King Abdulla II wanted it that way, due to the critical position of Jordan’s location.

He said Jordan is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the South and East, Iraq to the North-East, Syria to the North and Israel and Palestine to the West.

President Kikwete joined three other leaders that at the meeting who included President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya, President Ismail Omar Guelleh of Djibouti and President Sheikh Mohamoud of Somalia.

The meeting was held with the aim of finding a holistic approach in an effort to counter terrorism, through member states strengthening efforts in fighting terrorism by maintaining coordination and consultation among various parties in the fight against terrorism.

Meanwhile, the media has been urged to accept the Access to Information and Media Service Act, which is here to protect journalists and will not infringe on media freedom.

Mr Rweyemamu said that the fact that why it was under certificate of urgency is not a new thing since it has been done before on other bills.

He said the Access to Information and Media Services Bill is long overdue, noting that the process to have the law started a long time ago.

Comment from the Author:

 Personally,  I suffered from cyber crime  in 2009  when  more than $400 was stolen from my CampusEdge checking Account  - 3048  through my ATM  Card 2065 while on airline  flight  from Washington DC,  USA to Amsterdam, The Netherlands on 12/6/2009.   As this law comes into effect,   I am waiting to see if I could prosecute the said cybercrime at home because all my efforts at  reclaiming my remaining $900 from my ATM  CARD  of the  BANK OF AMERICA have met with deaf ears. I have yet to be reimbursed my money.       I  am very disappointed that the BANK OF AMERICA does not realise that some of us in other countries are not able to contact them  through the  numbers they provide in their letters/email messages.  

As time does not run against the state in criminal matters,  I am still hopeful that the new law could be my salvation after all.???

SHUJAA BRIGEDIA JENERALI MSTAAFU HASHIM MBITA AFARIKI DUNIA

Brigedia Jenerali Hashim Mbita atangulia mbele ya haki 

Source:  Michuzi.blogspot 

On 4/26/2015 05:43:00 PM  

Brigedia Jenerali Mstaafu Hashim Mbita aliyekuwa Katibu Mtendaji wa Kamati ya Ukombozi ya uliokuwa Umoja wa Nchi Huru za Afrika (OAU), amefariki dunia asubuhi hii tarehe 26/4/2015  katika hospitali kuu ya Jeshi, Lugalo, jijini Dar es Salaam.

Kwa mujibu wa taarifa za kifamilia, mazishi yanatarajiwa kufanyika katika makaburi ya Kisutu jijini Dar es salaam siku ya Jumanne Aprili 28, 2015 - saa 10 Alasiri baada ya swala.

Msiba upo nyumbani kwa marehemu Chang'ombe jirani na TCC Club jijini Dar es salaam.

Mzee Mbita atakumbukwa Tanzania, bara zima la Afrika na dunia kwa jumla kama mmoja wa makamanda mahiri aliyeshiriki kikamilifu katika uondoshaji wa utawala wa ukoloni barani Afrika, hususan utawala kidhalimu wa makaburu Zimbabwe na Afrika ya Kusini na hatimaye kuachiwa huru kwa aliyekuwa Rais mzawa wa kwanza nchini Afrika Kusini, hayati Nelson Mandela.

Tanzanian Shillings ONE TRILLION Sugar Deal Vanishes Into Thin Air

But signs of troubled times for the project were in the air much of last month after Action Aid released a study that claimed that the project land was grabbed and launched an international online petition urging President Kikwete to intervene and ensure that the project is not implemented on the disputed land. PHOTO|FILE 

By Songa wa Songa, The Citizen Reporter

Posted  Saturday, April 25  2015 at  13:52

IN SUMMARY

The much talked-about $620 million model project, which was to be based in Bagamoyo and was jointly owned by the government and Swedish investor Agro EcoEnergy, may go down because the State has reportedly failed to hold up its end of the deal.

Dar es Salaam. The much-touted $620 million (roughly Sh1 trillion) project aimed at ending sugar crisis in Tanzania is in a fix.

The much talked-about $620 million model project, which was to be based in Bagamoyo and was jointly owned by the government and Swedish investor Agro EcoEnergy, may go down because the State has reportedly failed to hold up its end of the deal.

Of that investment, some $120 million (Sh220 billion) was set aside for smallholder farmers in the out growers scheme—a key element that attracted a number of investors. But all that may now be history unless someone or something intervenes.

EcoEnergy executive director Per Carstedt told The Citizen yesterday that the three main investors who had committed billions of shillings to the project would pull out on 30 April, the deadline the financiers gave those implementing the project to iron out all pending issues before funds could be released.

The project has some high-powered supporters: The Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) committed more than $100 million, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (Ifad) set aside $65 million and the African Development Bank (AfDB) was ready to put in some $30 million. Come Thursday, no cent will be released if the preconditions remain unmet, dealing a killer blow to the project’s lifeline.

According to Mr Carstedt, three main issues remained unsettled as of yesterday.

Given the time left, the chances are high that they will not be solved. The contentious issues include a land dispute in the project area, control of sugar importation and corporate tax exemption for the investor. All three items fall in the government’s to-do list.

In the joint venture company that was registered in 2007 to run the project, Bagamoyo EcoEnergy Ltd (BEE), the government was given 25 land-for-equity shares as it provided the former 22,300 hectare Ranch of Zanzibar in Bagamoyo (Razaba).

But some residents, who had settled on the land that was idle then, went to court to challenge the deal, claiming that the property was their ancestral land. The case is still in court.

According to a 2005 Gazette notice, some 3,000 hectares of Razaba appeared to fall within Saadani National Park, contrary to a 1973 gazette and the BEE title that put the piece of land under Razaba. According to the investor, the land is the “best and most viable” for cane production. That issue is also not yet resolved.

Moreover, the government has done nothing concrete to plug the loopholes that lead to irregularly imported sugar flooding the market despite the 100,000-tonne annual deficit. Given that the investor has not been given a corporate tax waiver, doom is all but certain.

“The government has done a lot but, considering the few remaining days and what still needs to be done, we are very concerned,” Mr Carstedt said.

EcoEnergy has already injected $45 million (about Sh80 billion) in the project which, come Thursday, will enter the firm’s books of account as loss.

The multi-billion project is one of the investments being co-ordinated under President Jakaya Kikwete’s Delivery Bureau’s Big Results Now (BRN). A top BRN official privy to the project and who has been working closely with EcoEnergy towards sorting out the issues, declined to offer details. “We’ve done a lot,” he said. “I cannot say much on the phone.”

The Presidential Delivery Bureau’s deputy chief executive, Mr Peniel Lyimo, who was among the government’s key actors as far the EcoEnergy project is concerned, said he was in a meeting and asked that questions be sent via text message. He had not responded as we went to press.

The investment is expected to provide the domestic market with 130,000 tonnes of sugar every year, 100,000 megawatt of electricity to the national grid and 10 million litres of ethanol.

But signs of troubled times for the project were in the air much of last month after Action Aid released a study that claimed that the project land was grabbed and launched an international online petition urging President Kikwete to intervene and ensure that the project is not implemented on the disputed land.

A dialogue forum with the theme “Implications of large scale agro-investments for smallholder producers”, held a day before the release of the study, led to angry exchanges after the NGO presented highlights of ‘Take Action: Stop Ecoenergy’s land grab in Bagamoyo, Tanzania”.

Mr Sospeter Mtemi, acting director for land use, planning and management in the ministry of Land, housing and human settlement, denied claims that the project land was grabbed and said the project was essential not only to the socio-economic development of Bagamoyo but the country in general.

Ms Mwatima Juma, a senior country programme officer at Ifad who attended last month’s forum, warned that publication of the report would jeopardise the project and appealed to the NGO to ease off. But Action Aid went ahead and uploaded the study on its website.