By Staff Writer

Acacia Mining Company is seriously accused of corruption scandal to influence Tanzania’s government officials to favour the company in valuation process to expand the mining area against the interests of villagers and government in Mara region.

Two Acacia Official working with North Mara Mining in Tanzania (NMML), Marteen Van Der and Johanness Jansen and others were on Wednesday October 10, 2018 dragged before the Tarime Resident Magistrate’s Court being charged for corruption offence under Prevention and Combating of Corruption Act, No. 11 of 2007.

It was revealed before the Court that the suspects, Marteen Van Der and Johanness Jansen Van Vuuren on the 17^th May 2013 at NMML office in Tarime District, Mara Region, bribed Adam Yusuph, a Principal Government Valuer with Tshs. 93,869,000/- , to influence him so that he could favour the mining company in valuation process to expand the mining area. Yusuph is also Chair of Taskforce charged with overseeing the land valuation for expansion of North Mara Gold Mine.

The Mining Company officials are also allegedly on the same date that they gave Tshs. 30,000,000 to Peter Elias Mrema, Principal Government Valuer inducing him to for inducement so that he could favour them in valuation process of expansion of North Mara Gold Mine.

On the same corruption scandal, Peter Elias Mrema is accused that on the 17^th May 2013 at North Mara Gold Mine (NMGM) office being the Government Valuer in the Ministry of Lands and Human Settlement did corruptly received Tshs. 30,000,000 from and Johanness Jansen Van and Marteen Van Der Welf in order to favour the Mining Company in valuation process of expansion of North Mara Gold Mine.

In the same case, Joseph Thomas Kleruu also appeared before the same Court in allegation to have corruptly obtained consultancy services contract on March 7^th, 2012 for conducting land valuation Farm No. 190 located in Tarime District from NMGM as an inducement so that he could help them to acquire the area for the expansion of North Mara Gold Mine.

The case included also Abel Mnyakibari who on different dates between January 2013 and December, 2017 at NMGM office, as Chairperson of Nyakunguru Village allegedly obtained a sum of Tshs. 966,687,343 from NMGM as inducement so that he could deal with errant villagers and he refused to pay other villagers their dues in terms of compensation. Mnyakibari is also accused of obtaining at sum of Tshs. 90,251,475 from NMGM as an inducement so that he could refrain from making follow up of compensation of more than 800 villagers of Kewanja Village for their land taken by NMGM.

The last suspect is Bogomba Rashidi Chichake and Tanzania O’Mtima whereas on different dates between January 2006 and May, 2018 at NMGM office, being Ward Councilor for Kemambo Ward and Managing Director and Stakeholder of Mara Kaskazini Enterprise , did corruptly obtained tenders worth Tshs 7,709,575,914,19 and 1,102,880,81 from North Mara Gold Mine as an inducement to prevent Nyabigena Primary School from being transferred from Mrwambe area to Mgema area hence North Mara Gold Mining will construct the school in a very low cost.

North Mara Gold Mine is a combined open pit and underground gold mine in Tarime District. It is one of the three gold mines Accacia Mining Plc. A company listed on the London Stoke-Exchange, operating in Tanzania, the other two being Bulyankhulu and Buzwagi Gold Mine.

On 4th July 2017 Acacia Mining plc, a UK based company has initiate an arbitration dispute in the London Court of International Arbitration with Tanzania through Bulyanhulu Gold Mine Limited and Pangea Minerals Limited to challenge the decision of the Government to ban export of mineral concentrates.