PCCB saves Sh7.6bn public fund from being stolen

The Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB), has saved over Sh7.6 billion in public funds from being embezzled, PCCB director general Dr Edward Hosea, revealed recently in Mwanza. Dr Hosea told President Jakaya Kikwete shortly before the latter opened the PCCB annual general meeting, that the funds were saved through the ongoing investigations and audit of development projects being by local government authorities countrywide. "We also suggested disciplinary measures be taken against 40 civil servants implicated in corruption practices during the implementation of projects,” he said.
The graft watchdog investigation and prosecution directorate, had between last January and this month, investigated five grand corruption cases at the headquarters and at least one such case at each region each month, he said. The PCCB headquarters investigated 16 grand corruption cases during the 2009/10, he said, explaining that investigation of seven cases was accomplished and that files were sent to the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP). PCCB had until this month, filed 222 cases at the courts countrywide to register an increase of 51 per cent compared to 147 cases filed at the courts in 2008, he said.

"We received 5,930 complaints at PCCB offices countrywide last year,"he said, adding that PCCB won 49 cases in which sentences were meted out, making the bureau registered an increase of 32 per cent cases compared to 37 won in 2008. Dr Hosea, however, enumerated a number of challenges facing the bureau as belated availability of evidence and documents from abroad for grand corruption cases, due to costs involved. The bureau was in dire need of district offices countrywide and a training college for grooming its officials in the anti-corruption skills. Tracking down corruption during elections was a daunting task that called for a big budget, he noted. He said the bureau was continuing with coordination of National Governance and Corruption Survey (NGCS), the first baseline survey aimed at gauging good governance and corruption situation in the country. Statistics to be obtained from the survey would be used for devising and implementing good governance and anti-corruption drive in the country, he said. Preliminary findings of the survey indicated that corruption practices abound in health, judiciary, Police Force, education, Tanzania Electricity Supply Company (Tanesco), water and public procurement sectors, he observed. Dr Hosea attributed achievements registered by the bureau to the government's support, including a permission to recruit 747 officials between 2006 and last year. In addition to the newly built PCCB headquarters in Dar es Salaam, the graft watchdog had accomplished construction of regional headquarters in Temeke and Maswa districts, he said. The bureau also envisaged accomplishment in the construction of buildings to house regional and district headquarters in Lindi and Mtwara regions and in Iramba and Mpanda districts, this fiscal year.

SOURCE Citizen newspaper