Anti-graft drive recovers 19bn/- in 3 years
ARUSHA: COOPERATION between the Prevention and Combating of Corruption Bureau (PCCB) and the National Audit Office of Tanzania (NAOT) has led to the recovery of about 19bn/- lost through misuse of public funds in procurement over three years.
PCCB Deputy Director General, Ms Neema Mwakalyelye said yesterday during the 19th Annual Meeting of the Working Group on Fight Against Corruption and Money Laundering (WGFACML) in Arusha that between 2023 and 2026, some 470 investigation files benefited from special forensic audits, while 130 audit reports were used in court proceedings.
Out of the cases handled, 76 were successfully concluded with support from reports by the Controller and Auditor General (CAG), with 67 involving recovery of funds.
Ms Mwakalyelye said the achievement underscores the value of institutional cooperation in safeguarding public resources, noting that procurement remains a key channel for delivering services such as roads, schools, hospitals, medicines and water.
She added that public procurement accounts for over 70 per cent of government expenditure, making it both a critical development tool and an area vulnerable to corruption, fraud and bid-rigging.
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Opening the meeting, Controller and Auditor General, Mr Charles Kichere, urged institutions involved in procurement, tax collection, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering to deepen cooperation.
He said stronger collaboration was needed to seal loopholes that allow concealment of beneficial ownership and facilitate financial crimes.
According to him, the effort should bring together procurement authorities, ministries, revenue agencies, anti-corruption bodies, financial intelligence units, law enforcement agencies and Supreme Audit Institutions.
“Supreme Audit Institutions should use beneficial ownership data to make strong audit recommendations that directly benefit citizens,” he said.
Mr Kichere added that Tanzania will continue strengthening laws on company registration, beneficial ownership transparency and anti-money laundering to enhance investigations and protect public resources.
Meanwhile, Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) Executive Director, Mr Dennis Simba, said the National e-Procurement System of Tanzania (NeST) has the capacity to help identify beneficial owners of companies bidding for government tenders.
He said PPRA has identified five key areas of cooperation to improve transparency and oversight in procurement.
These include collaboration with anti-corruption institutions such as PCCB and NAOT, use of digital procurement systems, disclosure of beneficial ownership, verification of information across systems and enforcement of procurement laws.
Mr Simba said disclosure of beneficial ownership will require bidders to reveal individuals who ultimately own or benefit from their companies.
He noted that this will help detect cases where seemingly independent firms are controlled by the same individual, a practice that undermines fair competition and increases risks of favouritism, bid-rigging and misuse of public funds.
The meeting is discussing ways to strengthen cooperation in identifying beneficial owners, combating corruption and financial crimes, and enhancing accountability in public procurement and resource management.
