MPs decry ‘Escrow’ report spill ~ BAHARI YA HABARI

THE National Assembly Speaker, Ms Anne Makinda.

Led by nominated MP James Mbatia, legislators termed it as intrusion of Parliamentary powers and thus in contravention of Parliamentary Powers, Rights and Privileges Act No.3 of 1988 Soon after the morning Questions-and-Answers session, Mr Mbatia raised the matter that had led to the weekend’s arrest of the suspect who was found with the documents.

Mr Mbatia said the suspect was arrested on Sunday following a complaint filed by the Clerk of the National Assembly, Dr Thomas Kashilila.

The suspect was found with three different documents, two of which bore the official rubber stamp of the office of the Clerk. The other one did not have any stamp.

Mr Mbatia called on the Speaker, Ms Anna Makinda, to first suspend the day’s Bunge activities to open the floor to debate on the matter, including how the documents had left the Parliament’s precincts.

Ms Makinda intervened saying it was not yet clear how the suspect acquired the said documents, but that it would be more procedural if the House left Police to first investigate the matter.

“Discussing it here before police conclude the investigations is not procedural. They are grilling the suspect, with intention to make him say where he got the documents.

Whoever is found culpable will be held accountable even if they are from my office,’’ she said.

Mr Mbatia told the House that some opposition MPs had alerted Parliament that some people were circulating documents plucked from the CAG report that is due for tabling starting tomorrow.

According to the information lodged with the clerk, the documents being circulated were plucked from pages 57,58 and 59 of the CAG report.

The matter lingered on with Mr Tundu Lissu (Singida Rural-Chadema), saying it was important to debate the issue yesterday to clear the confusion that had been brought about by the matter.

But the Speaker stuck to her guns, stressing that discussing a matter that was already under investigation was not procedural, further asking the legislators to be patient as the PAC report on the CAG –IPTL content would be officially tabled for discussion starting tomorrow (Wednesday).

Ms Makinda also said MPs will be given contents of the report prior to its tabling by the Public Accounts Committee. She made this particular ruling following the concern raised by Simanjiro MP (CCM) Christopher Ole Sendeka that the report’s content may leave the MPs half informed if they do not get it prior to the debate -- to read it and broadly reflect on its content.

It is understood that legislators will discuss the report on the escrow account on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. The IPTL saga revolves around a contestable withdrawal from the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) of a whopping 306bn/- in taxpayer money that was shared among a few individuals.

It had been withdrawn to facilitate the sale of Independent Power Tanzania Limited (IPTL) to Pan Africa Power Solutions (PAP).

On Thursday, Kigoma North MP (Chadema), Mr Zitto Kabwe, who chairs PAC, said his team was ready to table the report for discussion and action by the National Assembly after Wednesday’s interrogation of the CAG, PCCB and TRA chiefs.

The National Assembly insisted that the IPTL’s escrow account report by the CAG will be discussed starting tomorrow after the PAC had made its statement.