Arusha. Two Chadema MPs said yesterday that they would hand over to the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) video clips allegedly implicating ten former civic leaders in Arusha in bribery.
The leaders, most of them former councillors, are alleged to have been bribed to quit Chadema and join the ruling CCM.
Mr
Joshua Nassari (Arumeru East) and Mr Godbless Lema told reporters that
they had “incriminating evidence”, which they would hand over to the
PCCB.
The evidence is in the form of video clips, which
were secretly recorded and which allegedly show the ten former Chadema
grassroots leaders receiving bribes from government officials to
persuade them to ditch Chadema for CCM.
“We have
evidence that they were bribed with cash, promises of bank loans,
permanent jobs and sitting and other allowances over the next five
years,” Mr Nassari said.
The two lawmakers said the
video clips would be handed over to PCCB director general Valentino
Mlowola, adding it was their contribution to the war on corruption
spearheaded by President John Magufuli.
“It is our sincere hope that PCCB will take appropriate action as a matter of urgency,” they said.
Government
leaders alleged to have been filmed dishing out bribes to former
Chadema councillors include a district commissioner, district council
chairman and district administrative secretary in Arusha Region.
“We
have irrefutable evidence that these people bribed our councillors to
leave Chadema and join CCM. We dare them to come out in the open and
deny what we are saying today. We have more evidence against them,” Mr
Nassari said.
“One of the councillors wanted to get
married but did not have enough money for the wedding, so he went to beg
for money from the district administrative secretary, which he was
promptly given on condition that he ditches Chadema and joins CCM.”
One
of those adversely mentioned by the MPs is Arumeru District
Commissioner Alexander Mnyeti, who declined to respond to the
allegations when contacted by The Citizen.
“I’m indisposed and in hospital. I can’t say anything on the allegations at the moment,” he said.
The
former Makiba Ward councillor in Arumeru District, Mr Emmanuel Mollel,
denied that he was bribed to leave the Opposition and join CCM
“I
can’t deny having met the DC or the district executive secretary and
other senior government officials... we met regularly in our capacities
as leaders. I don’t know anything about the so-called incriminating
videos. I’m sure they are fake clips which Nassari is using in his
propaganda war against us,” he said by telephone.
Mr
Lema said during the press briefing that the government had stepped up
its campaign of bribing opposition civic leaders in other opposition
strongholds such as Arusha Urban, Monduli, Iringa Urban, Moshi Urban and
Hai constituencies.
He said Chadema had evidence of
other opposition councillors who had been persuaded to quit and join
CCM, but who had refused because their demands had not been met.
Chadema has in recent months been hit by an exodus of councillors in Arusha District, which the party has blamed on bribery.
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