How Kikwete Regime is Involved on selling Wild animals in Tanzania

The ruling delivered by the Senior Registrate Magisrate’s Court in Moshi, on the northern tourism circuit, on an economic sabotage case involving exportation of live wildlife animals has revealed why Qatar was cleared from the case. According to documents of the ruling delivered by the court on December 5, a Qatari military plane that was used to transport live wildlife animals to an unknown destination followed all diplomatic and legal procedures. The document seen by The Guardian on Sunday states clearly the flight that is claimed to have ferried the wild animals had diplomatic status and followed all the required formalities before flying to Tanzania and its departure back to base. It is stated in the document of the ruling that the flight passed all formalities as required by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, the Ministry of Defense and National Service and the Tanzania Communication Regulatory Authority( TCRA).According to the ruling by Senior Resident Magistrate Simon Kabero, the departure of the flight from the Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA) back home was known by the relevant authority and it departed according to its planned schedule.

It was stated in the ruling that the flight was cleared to land in the country and evidence to this fact was adduced in court by the former chief of protocol in the ministry, Anthony Itatiro, as well as ministerial official Nathaniel Paul Massawe and Ewod Aman, a retired civil aviation officer who also served as KIA manager.Ewod Aman is said to be the one who received the aircraft and also oversaw its departure on November 26, 2010.


“These officials provided evidence that the aircraft and its crew who were diplomats complied with all the procedures but the only person here who is a problem is the agent used,” the ruling intoned. Kamran Ahmed, a Pakistani national named as the agent, was handed a 60-year jail term after finding him guilty of four counts of illegal export of live wildlife without permits.Senior Resident Magistrate Simon Kobelo also ordered seizure of all properties belonging to the convict who was sentenced in absentia.

The suspect ran away in February this year after he was bailed out when the case was in initial stages of hearing.However, in the same ruling, the court found three other accused persons Hawa Mang’unyuka, Martin Kimathi and Michael Mrutu innocent and acquitted them.

He said the court has found Ahmed guilty of all four counts and sentenced him to 15 years imprisonment for each, bringing the sentence to 60 years.The magistrate said the crime committed by the agent could put diplomatic relations between Tanzania and Qatar on balance.
The Guardian on Sunday reporter sought to contact the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism for comment on the judgment. Minister Lazaro Nyalandu said over the phone that he was in Singida villages so he could not hear the reporter well. “I am in a village in Singida so I don’t hear you well. You can call me at 6pm evening,” he replied, but when the reporter called Deputy Minister Mahmoud Mgimwa for comment he said it was difficult for him to comment since it is a court judgment and it is one pillar of government.
“For now as government we can’t comment anything, but our lawyers are going through the judgment and later they will advise us what to do,” the deputy minister declared.
SOURCE: GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY