Seal loopholes of tampering with evidence,
says Prosecutor
by Happy Lazaro
The government has been challenged to seal all criminal loopholes. This comes in the wake of allegations that some criminals while arrested and charged tamper with evidence by hiring false witnesses. This is a nagging problem in Arusha region, according to sources.
Buying of witnesses by criminals has made the public lose trust in law enforcement officers citing that they release criminals despite there being ample evidence to convict them.
This was recently mentioned by Public Prosecutor Harun Matagane on behalf of his peers, while in a four day seminar on building capacity in wildlife sector stakeholders, computer technology enhancement and combating criminals. The seminar would help them gain knowledge in conducting criminal cases after they learn the technological techniques that modern criminals use.
“But the greatest hurdle herein Arusha is that we have cases to handle which lack watertight evidence to make a conviction because criminals bribe witnesses, chiefly when they are arrested and released on bail,” said Matagane.
He said the problem is so rampant in Arusha that the public blames the prosecutors for being the cause of freeing criminals which in turn creates a vicious criminal cycle in Arusha zone. This is a situation that cannot be easily arrested. Not until the government devices ways and means of closing all loopholes open to the criminals thus blocking buying of witnesses.
“Once these criminals are bailed out they become a risk to would-be witnesses and mainly so the chief ones. They have plenty of money which they squander interfering with witnesses,” said Matagane.
He praised the government for imposing stiffer penalties on poachers and other offences related to wildlife. Earlier such offenders used to get away with very light penalties.
A senior officer in the Wildlife Department, Ministry Natural Resources and Tourism, John Kaaya said that the seminar was tailored for different stakeholders in the wildlife sector including airports, law officers, wildlife sector workers and other special areas.
The seminar was necessitated by the mushrooming use of modern technology by criminals and also recruiting others of good intent to join them.
“We have decided to co-operate with various countries in exchanging technology in combating crime in order to fight the escalating illegal trade in wildlife and related products. Dar es Salaam and Arusha are the most affected areas,” said Kaaya.
Kaaya said that there is no country that can fight crime in isolation. We need concerted efforts. “The seminar has offered you the strategies together with how you can implement and maintain the law,” he said. |
