{Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete fired a senior cabinet minister on Monday over a graft scandal in the energy sector that has already led to the resignation of the African country’s attorney general.}<\/p>\n
Kikwete said he had dismissed Anna Tibaijuka, minister of lands, housing and human settlements development, for accepting a $1 million payment from a Tanzanian businessman linked to a controversial energy deal.<\/p>\n
Tibaijuka, a former under-secretary-general of the United Nations and executive director of the U.N. Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), had rejected calls for her resignation from parliament, saying the money was a donation for a school where she serves as the main fundraiser.<\/p>\n
“There were ethical shortfalls in her conduct … that is why we agreed to ask the minister to give us the opportunity to appoint someone else in her position,” Kikwete said in a national address late on Monday.<\/p>\n
“One of the biggest questions raised is why this money was not paid directly to the school and was instead deposited in a personal bank account in her name.”<\/p>\n
Tibaijuka said she had received the donation in good faith and presented it to the school.<\/p>\n
The Tanzanian president said the government was still investigating allegations of impropriety against the country’s energy minister and his permanent secretary and would make a decision on their fate after the conclusion of the probe.<\/p>\n
Tanzania’s parliament last month called for the dismissal of senior officials, including the lands and energy ministers, over graft accusations.<\/p>\n
Attorney General Frederick Werema resigned on Dec. 17, becoming the first political casualty in the scandal that has led Western donors to delay aid and weakened the country’s currency.<\/p>\n
The attorney general denied any wrongdoing and said he was stepping down because his legal advice on the transfer of at least $122 million of public funds to a private company was misunderstood.<\/p>\n
The funds came from an escrow account held jointly by state power company TANESCO and independent power producer IPTL and went to IPTL’s owner, Pan Africa Power (PAP) in 2013.<\/p>\n
Kikwete on Monday defended the transfer of funds, saying there was no wrongdoing by government officials in the deal and PAP said the payment was legal.<\/p>\n
A group of 12 international donors have said they will only pay outstanding pledges of budget support worth nearly $500 million to aid-reliant Tanzania if the report of the graft investigation is published and appropriate action is taken.<\/p>\n
World Bulletin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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