Big breakthrough in Kagoda probe - reports THISDAY

AT least two prominent personalities behind Kagoda Agriculture Limited company are now said to have agreed to return an unspecified part of the 40bn/-embezzled from the Bank of Tanzania's external payment arrears (EPA) account via the ever-mysterious company, THISDAY has learnt. Though it is understood that various key suspects have in the past admitted before government functionaries to having strong connections to the allegedly ’shell's company, all have tended to strenuously deny such links publicly. At least two prominent local businessmen both understood to have considerable political influence - were indeed questioned at one point by the EPA scandal probe team over their alleged involvement in the scam. One is believed to have either voluntarily presented himself to the probe team, or was formally summoned for questioning directly in connection with his alleged association with the Kagoda company.

It is understood that the EPA scandal probe team has now decided to send investigators to both Germany and Singapore to gather "crucial evidence" about at least two of those creditor companies; Lindeteves J Export BV and Hoechst AG. Lindeteves J Export BV is headquartered in Germany (Franfurt) or in Singapore, and also ascertain the current status of Hoechst AG. It has been discovered during the investigation in Dar es Salaam that there is no record of when precisely the BoT received the deed of assignment between Kagoda and Lindeteves J Export BV, which was signed on November 11, 2005. Instead there is only a BoT payment document dated December 12, 2005.

As already well-established, there were glaring errors evident in all of Kagoda's documents, including the use of obsolete names of creditor companies, incompatible dates, and poorly-forged signatures. None of the contracts and documents were written on the official letterheads of the foreign companies, with key contact details for representatives of the firms missing. All the Kagoda documents were signed in Dar es Salaam before the same B.M. Sanze, an advocate and notary public and commissioner of oaths. Some documents were dated even before the Kagoda company was officially registered at the Business Registration and Licensing Authority (BRELA), thus rendering them null and void.

Read the whole news report via: Thisday.co.tz