4 in court over loss of 3.4bn/-

Four people including two employees of the Medical Stores Department (MSD) yesterday (20/02/2014) appeared before Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam charged with seven counts, including abuse of position and occasioning loss of 3.4bn/-.

The MSD employees are Sylvester Matandiko who is Director of Zonal Operations North and Acting Director General and Sadiki Materu who is a Quality Assurance Manager. 

The two other accused are the employees of Private Health Laboratories Board. They are Zaynab Mfaume who is the Registrar and Joseph Nchimbi the Assistant Registrar. All the accused appeared before Resident Magistrate Hellen Riwa, except the first accused Matandiko who was reported to be sick.

State attorney Leonard Swai from the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) claimed before the Court that the accused committed the offences on diverse dates between January 20 and July 20, 2012 at unknown place in Dar es Salaam.

He alleged that on the said date the second accused Materu, Mfaume and Nchimbi conspired to commit an offence.

Swai claimed in the third count  that on January 17, 2012 at MSD offices in Temeke District the accused Materu in the discharge of his duties as a quality assurance manager of MSD department intentionally abused his position by advising acting director of logistics of MSD to assist SD Africa Limited to import defective SD BIOLINE HIV 1/2 3.0.

The HIV testing kits were manufactured by Standard Diagnostics of Korea contrary to the directives given by the government prohibiting importation of the said defective HIV test kits.

He alleged that the act enabled the SD Africa Limited to obtain an undue advantage of USD 2,093,500.00 equivalent to 3.4bn/- only for supplying the said defective HIV test kits to MSD.

In the fourth count it was alleged that on February 29, 2012 at the same place the accused Materu abused his position by approving quality of the said defective HIV test kits manufactured by Standard Diagnostics of Korea.

In the fifth count, it was alleged that on February 7, 2012 at the said place, the accused Nchimbi intentionally abused his position by approving commercial invoices number SD 111225-20 dated 25 December 2012 and SD 120109-3 dated 9 January 2012 thereby issuing clearance for importation of defective SD BIOLINE HIV ½ 3.0 manufactured by the same company in violation of the directive given by the government.

In the sixth count it was alleged that, the accused Mfaume, on the same date and place, intentionally abused her position by issuing permit certificate of import/export for health laboratories products/ specimens/other supplies number 00010131dated 7 February 2012, clearance for importation of defective SD BIOLINE HIV half 3.0 manufactured by the same company in violation of directive given by the Government.

In the last count it was claimed that, on diverse dates between January 1, and July 20, 2012 the accused jointly and together by their willful acts caused the Government of Tanzania to suffer a pecuniary loss of 3.4bn/-.

The accused pleaded not guilty and they were remanded until March 6, when their case comes up for preliminary hearing.

SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN