Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)
Julius Bwahama
29 November 2011
THE prosecution on Tuesday withdrew all its witnesses who reside in Dar es Salaam from the drug trafficking case against former President of the Boxing Federation of Tanzania (BFT) Shaaban Mintanga.
In the ongoing case at the High Court, the prosecution withdrew all eight witnesses from Dar es Salaam apart from one Detective Corporal Abdalla. Presiding Judge Fauz Twaib adjourned the case until the next High Court session next year.
“I adjourn this case until the next High Court session and I order the prosecution to bring the only witness from Dar es Salaam to attend that session,” ordered Judge Twaib.
The prosecution also asked the government of Mauritius to send back three witnesses to come to Tanzania to testify.
“Your honour, we have already sent a letter requesting the government of Mauritius Islands to send three witnesses to come and testify in this case. “But incase they fail to come to Tanzania then they will testify via video conference,” State Attorney Stella Machoke told the court.
Presiding Judge concurred but ordered the prosecution to meet all costs for the video conference.
The witnesses who have been removed from the case are Felcheson Lebule, Angelina Balyagangis, MT 60383 Sergeant Benjamin Mwangata, MT 83820 Private Ally Kimwaga, Filbert Bayi, Leonard Thadeo and WII Agnes Msengi.
The three witnesses from Mauritius include boxer Petro Mtagwa, Case Ramadhani and Nathaniel Eliya.
Before the adjournment, the prosecution had asked the court to postpone hearing of the case citing that their witnesses were outside Dar es Salaam and thus failed to attend the session.
However, the defence led by Jerome Msemo objected the prosecution prayer citing that they had many witnesses who lived in Dar es Salaam, a move that was followed by the prosecution deciding to recall all their witnesses residing in the city apart from Detective Corporal Abdalla.
“If they are deciding to withdraw all their witnesses in Dar es Salaam then it is better they drop the charges,” Msemo told the court.
In the case, Mintanga and six others are on June 8, 2008 accused of conspiring and trafficking 4.8 kilogrammes of heroin with a street value of 120m/- from Tanzania to Mauritius.
AllAfrica – All the Time