Chronology

2007: Auditors Ernst & Young unearth theft of Tsh133 billion ($132 million) from the External Payment Arrears Account (EPA) at the Bank of Tanzania (BoT). 1

2008, January: Tanzania's Central Bank Governor Daudi Ballali sacked after it was established that 22 local companies, many of them apparently fictitious, benefited from the payments from the bank's external payment arrears account. 2

2008 February: Reported that money from the EPA account was used to purchase houses in South Africa, Asia,  United States of America, Belgium, Dubai and Switzerland, and that the Government of Tanzania was moving to have such assets frozen. 3

2008, April: Swiss Ambassodor to Tanzania, Adrian Schlaepfer, offered to help the Bank of Tanzania get back any money swindled from its external payment arrears (EPA) account and moved to Switzerland. 4

2008, April 2: The Tanzania Revenue Authority asks 30 individuals and companies involved in both EPA and Richmond scandals to pay taxes, within 14 days as required by law, on what they earned in the "dubious transactions." 5

2008 August: The Government of Tanzania gave 13 firms more time (until the end of October 2008) to return money obtained from the central bank. About US$46.56 million (TZS 53.7 billion) had been paid back by then. 6

2008, November: The EPA task force led by the country's Attorney General Johnson Mwanyika hands over its case files to the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for legal action. 7

Thirteen people arrested in Dar es Salaam, including two business tycoons, Jeetu Patel and Johnson Lukaza, in connection with the Bank of Tanzania's external payment arrears (EPA) account. The suspects were arraigned at Kisutu Resident Megistrate Court in Dar es Salaam on multiple counts of fraud, conspiracy and theft. 8

Jeetu Patel was widely thought to have evaded the long arm of the law after having surrendered Tsh.35 Billion to the government. Johnson Lukaza was charged with allegations of fraud, conspiracy and theft of Tsh. 6.3 billion.

2009, June 19: Kisutu Resident Magistrate's Court dismissed allegations by the defence that one suspect, known as Farijala Hussein, had recorded his cautioned statement under duress 9

Developing ...............................