Tanzania: Journalists deny corruption charges and threats

Journalist Jerry Muro is led to the courtroom at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court in Dar es Salaam.

TBC1 reporter Jerry Muro and two other men yesterday denied in a Dar es Salaam court a charge of soliciting a Sh10 million bribe from a local authority official. The three are alleged to have demanded the money from a former Bagamoyo District Council accountant, Mr Michael Wage, after threatening him with negative publicity.

His co-accused, Mr Edmund Kapama and Mr Deogratias Mgasa, are also charged in the Kisutu Magistrate's Court with conspiracy and impersonation. Mr Muro and Mr Kapama were granted Sh5 million bond each, while Mr Mgasa failed to meet the conditions and was remanded in custody.

The three suspects were brought to court a day after Prime Minister Mizengo
Pinda called for speedy investigations into the case to avoid further public confusion. They were driven to the court in a police vehicle at around 10am and entered the prosecution room before being taken into the courtroom, which was fully packed.

Mr Muro and his coaccused pleaded not guilty to all the charges that were read by Principal State Attorney Boniface Stanslaus, who was assisted by a  prosecutor from the Prevention and Combating Corruption Bureau (PCCB), Mr Ben Lincoln. The prosecutor told Resident Magistrate Gabriel Milumbe that on Mr Muro and his co-accused conspired last month to engage in corrupt transactions contrary to Section 15(1)(a) of the PCCB Act.

In the second count, three are accused of corruptly soliciting Sh10 million from Mr Wage, as an inducement for them not to broadcast news relating to allegations of misuse of public funds at his Bagamoyo office.

They allegedly committed the offence on January 29, at Sea Cliff Hotel. In the last count, it was alleged that on the same day, Mr Kapama alias Doctor and Mr Mgasa alias Musa, while at Sea Cliff Hotel with intent to defraud Mr Wage,
falsely presented themselves as employees of the PCCB.

After the charges were read, their advocate, Mr Pascal Kamala, asked the court to grant his clients bail. The prosecution objected, saying the investigations were still going on and there was a danger the accused could interfere with the process. Mr Boniface told the court that Mr Kapama and Mr Mgasa, were notorious conmen and that they had already served jail sentences for related offences. However, the prosecution failed to produce proof to support their assertion, as they were required by the court.

Magistrate Milumbe granted bail to all the three on the condition of securing two reliable sureties who would sign a bond of Sh 5 million each. Mr Muro and Mr Kapama met the bail conditions and walked free after court appearance. The case will be heard on February 12. Mr Muro, an award-winning reporter with the State-owned TBC1 television station, was arrested on suspicion of having connections with an elaborate extortion and blackmail ring a week ago.

The reporter, who has made a name for himself by exposing entrenched corruption within the traffic police, was briefly held and questioned on Sunday before he was released on a police bail.  

- February 06, 2010 by Rosina John

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Source: thecitizen.co.tz/newe.php (accessed on 08.02.2010)