Dar es Salaam: Three Congolese in court for fraud

Written by DAILY NEWS Reporter.

THREE Congolese were arraigned before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in Dar es Salaam last Friday charged with forging several documents, including that of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and fraudulently obtaining over 200m/- from Turkish Nadir Dovis Tirareti.

They are: Jean Claude Bishikwabo (43), Desire Magumu Mangongo (39), all businessmen and Christian Morice Mbeka (24), a student. Before Senior Resident Magistrate Helen Riwa, the trio denied the charges.

They were remanded in custody after failing to fulfill bail conditions. The magistrate had ordered each accused person to secure two reliable sureties, who were required to sign a bond of 10m/-.

She ordered each accused person to deposit in court, cash amount of 34m/- or any title deed of immovable property valued at similar amount. Alternatively, the magistrate had ordered the trio to deposit in court a total of 100m/- or title deed of immovable with equivalent amount.

She further directed them to surrender their travel documents to the court and they were restrained to go outside the city without permission. The case will be mentioned on June 6, this year, as investigations, according to the prosecution, have not been completed.

Senior State Attorney Tumaini Kweka told the court that at unknown time and place in the city, the accused persons forged general receipt and change of ownership certificate.

According to the prosecution, the accused purported to show that the two documents dated May 17, 2013, were genuinely issued by SADC as payment for change of ownership certificate and certificate of origin for mineral export, respectively, while it was false.

The prosecution claimed further that the three accused persons also forged certificate of origin, exchequer receipts and export permit for minerals, purportedly showing that they were issued by the Ministry of Energy and Minerals and Tanzania Chamber of Commerce Industry and Agriculture.

Mr Kweka alleged that the accused persons purported to show that such documents indicated payments of royalty for the export of gold and application fee for mineral export permit, while it was untrue.

On May 17, this year, in the city, knowingly and fraudulently, the prosecutor alleged, the accused presented the said documents to Mr Tirareti showing permission granted to MS JB Group Tanzania Limited to export gold bars.

The prosecutor told the court further that at unknown time and place in the city, with intent to defraud, the three accused obtained 125,000 US dollars from Mr Tirati, showing that was genuine payments for export of 100 kilograms of gold bars from Tanzania to Istanbul, Turkey.

Source: http://www.dailynews.co.tz/index.php/local-news/17889-three-congolese-in-court-for-fraud