Ophir Energy agent threatens Zitto Kabwe

Kigoma North Member of Parliament Kabwe Zuberi Zitto has received a demand notice from one Moto Mabanga – commonly known as a fixer -- ordering the legislator to refute allegations he made in Parliament last November.

The demand notice comes about two months since the outspoken MP tabled in Parliament a private motion calling for investigations on some Tanzanians believed to have stashed away billions of shillings abroad -- especially in Switzerland, New Jersey and Cayman Islands as well as Mauritius.

In his private motion, Zitto said he believed some Tanzanians with offshore bank accounts made money from corruption deals and tax evasion.

According to Zitto, the yet unnamed individuals made ill-gotten money through procurement of military hardware, as well as energy and mineral deals.

But Mabanga wasn’t amused when the MP specifically nemed Ophir Energy, an oil exploration firm, as one of the companies that dished out hefty bribes to government officials so that it could be awarded three oil and gas exploration blocks between 2004, 2006 and 2007 -- and that he (Moto Mabanga) was the fixer who facilitated the award of licences for the oil explorations.

In his private motion, Zitto had said that in 2004 an 2005 a prominent South African politician, Tokyo Sexwale, made a business trip to Tanzania bringing with him two friends before he set up a firm known as Ophir Energy Tanzania Limited – which now owns blocks 1, 3 and 4 off the Indian Ocean in the Southern parts of the country.

He further stated that Sexwale was introduced in the country by a Congolese fixer known as Moto Mabanga, but in the demand notice issued to the opposition MP, Mabanga claims that Zitto lied about the man’s nationality.

According to Zitto, in his notice, Mabanga agrees that he indeed facilitated Ophir Energy to get oil exploration licenses in the country but insists that the deals were clean.

Mabanga asserts further that he never bribed any government officials to secure the oil deals in Tanzania.

However, Zitto raises serious doubts, saying, “if indeed he ( Mabanga) did facilitate Ophir Ernegy to strike oil deals in the country why then doen’t he have any shares in any of the oil companies now?”

However, The Guardian on Sunday has not been able see the copy of the demand notice issued to the opposition legislator.

But asked if he would bow down to Mabanga’s demands that he refute the allegations, he brushed it aside and retorted via an email message, “I won’t … this guy’s dealings must be investigated.”

However, Zitto says that the Clerk to the National Assembly had since informed Mabanga’s lawyers about the immunity granted to Tanzanian MPs when discharging their responsilities in the House.

This means that even if Mabanga were to take the matter to court he may hit a snag due to the immunity that Tanzania MPs enjoy.

“What is clear now is that Moto mabanga has confirmed through his demand notice he was a ‘deal sweetner’ for oil blocks in Tanzania. Authorities in Tanzania must investigate the dealings of this person,” Zitto added.

When tabling the private motion last November in Dodoma, Zitto told the House that the Global Financial Integrity (GFI) report of 2008 showed a total of US$8 billion had been stashed in foreign banks abroad between 1970 and 2008.

In June, 2011 the National Bank of Switzeland released details of people holding bank accounts in which it was revealed that Tanzanian individuals stashed away some US $196 million (Sh 314 billion) there.

It was then that the government conduct thorough investigation to establish the identity of Tanzanian personalities holding offshore bank accounts and the amounts preserved.

The government agreed to carry out the assignment and report back to the parliament in April this year.

Moto Mabanga is a well known fixer in Africa who has played many roles in enabling multinational investors to secure ‘smooth’ investments in many countries -- including Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo