IMF na Benki Kuu ya Tanzania: nani husimamia wasimamizi? III

Duh! mambo ya usimamizi hayana mwisho, au siyo?

Tumesikia vigelegele na makofi hivi karibuni. Sio ya harusi ama sherehe ya aina yeyote. Wala. Tumyaesikia wafadhili kuipongeza serikali ya Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania kwa kuweka wazi matokeo ya audit External Payments Account nawa wizi wa zaidi ya dollar milioni mia moja kutoka Benki Kuu ya Tanzania . Juzi, Daudi Balali, gavana mwenyewe alifukuzwa.

Mark Green, balozi wa Marekani hapa Tanzania alisema: “We believe that the government’s decision to press forward with an investigation of irregularities at the bank is indicative of President Kikwete’s resolve to combat corruption”. Serikali ya Uingereza pia, waliunga mikono na Bw. Green.

Tunajua kuwa audit ya Ernst and Young sio audit ya kwanza. Lakini uchunguzi huo si uchunguzi wa kwanza bali ni uchunguzi wa pili……. Endelea kusoma.

IMF iko mstara wa mbele wa kero hii ya BoT. Nimeshaandika kuhusu IMF na BOT. Bonyeza hapa ukitaka kujikumbusha. Kwenye nakala ile, niliunganisha na Country Report No. 07/138. Pata nakala yako hapa tena. Ni bure.

Leo mimi nimeisoma tena, kujikumbusha skendo hiyo. Ilivyoandikwa kwenye ripoti ya IMF, mambo yafuatayo yalitokea:

1. Mwaka 2006, maodita wa Benki Kuu ya Tanzania (Deloitte and Touche, kama sijakosea), waligundua malipo ya thamani ya USD30.7 milioni ambayo siyo sahihi.
2. Mkataba ya maodita ulivunjwa na serikali
3. Akina-IMF walipata taarifa kutoka kwa maodita wa Benki Kuu kuhusu malipo hayo.
4. Akina-IMF waliwasiliana na serikali juu ya kero hiyo kwa ngazi za juu, hadi Rais na Waziri wa Fedha
5. Serikali ya Tanzania iliwaambia IMF kuwa malipo haya yalitokea External Payments Account
6. Februari 2007, Waziri wa Fedha aliahidi kuchunguza malipo husika kwa njia ya ‘audit’ mpya.
7. Zaidi ya ‘audit’, serikali ilianzisha unchunguzi mwingine wa malipo. Huu umeanzishwa kabla ya Februari 2007, kama Waziri wa Fedha alivyoandika kwenye barua yake kwa Rodrigo Rato wa IMF, ambaye ni appendiz kwenye Country Report ya IMF.

Juzi, tulipewa matokeo machache (sio yote) ya audit ya Ernst and Young (au Massawe Ernst and Young? Sina uhakika…..). Tulipewa majina ya makampuni mbalimbali ambayo walipokea mabilioni kutoka kwa External Payments Account ya Benki Kuu. Tumehakikishiwa kuwa serikali itaunda timu ya kuchunguza mambo hayo. Timu, wakiwemo Inspekta Jenerali, na mkurugenzi wa Takukuru, Itaongozwa na mwanasheria mkuu.

Vipi kuhusu uchunguzi wa kwanza, je? Je, walishindwa kupata majina ya kampuni zilizopokea fedha hizo mpaka odit ya hivi karibuni?

Pia, kwanini wafadhili wanaipongeza serikali kwa kuunda uchunguzi sasa? Si wanajua kuwa serikali iliuunda uchunguzi karibu na mwaka moja uliopita?

 

People respond to incentives…..

Incentive is a basic concept in economics, and indeed in life. Incentives can be negative or positive. Reaching your sales targets, if you are a vodacom sales manager, may lead to a bonus. Favouring a particular supplier in return for a ten percent kickback may lead to loss of your job (assuming you are caught – it is so common).

So how do incentives operate in the relationship between Tanzania and its donors? With the last post, we saw that the IMF was happy to recommend that the final tranche of the Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (worth over two million Special Drawing Rights) be paid despite the, ahem, “alleged impropriety” of up to USD250 million going missing from the External Arrears Account of the Bank of Tanzania.

Similarly, the government of Norway recently announced that it would release TZS50 Billion in Direct Budget Support direct to the Tanzanian treasury. This equates to just under USD40 million or 225,000 Norwegian Kroner. This is about 35 percent greater than the amount they committed to giving in October of last year.

So, you make a certain commitment to support the Tanzanian government. You then discover that there is likely to have been theft of Tanzanian people’s money on a grand scale by officials of that same government, and the results of the promised inquiry are a long way away. You then decide to go ahead with your donation, and increase it by 35 percent. You then say

The disbursement was contingent upon Tanzania’s observation of the underlying principles of the agreement between Norway and Tanzania. The fundamental principles include good governance, fight against corruption, democracy, macroeconomic stability, and commitment to implementation of Mkukuta

Contingent on the fight against corruption?

 

IMF na Benki Kuu ya Tanzania: nani husimamia wasimamizi?

Sikutaka kuandika chochote kuhusu skendo ya Benki Kuu ya Tanzania inayohusu “external arrears payments”. Mambo mengi yameshaandikwa.

Juzi nilitembelea tovuti ya IMF kwa ajili ya kujua maoni yao kuhusu Benki Kuu na skendo hiyo. Ukibonyeza hapa, utapata nakala yako ya IMF Country Report No. 07/138: karatasi tisini na saba. Hii ni ripoti ya mwisho ya Poverty Reduction Growth Facility na Policy Support Instrument ya miaka mitatu ijayo. Napendekeza usome. Kuna mambo mengi ndani.

Kusema ukweli, nilishtushwa na ripoti hiyo. Bila shaka wananchi wa Tanzania wamesikitika sana na allegations kuhusu Benki Kuu. Wanaomba uwajibikaji. Je, vyombo vya fedha vya kimataifa vinasemaje? Kwanza, inaonekana kuwa wanaona mambo haya kuwa muhimu, lakini kiasi tu, siyo sana.

Nilishangaa zaidi mahusiano kati ya maafisa ya IMF na wenzao kwa Benki Kuu ya Tanzania. Ripoti hiyo ya IMF, inatueleza nini? Yaani, nani husimamia wasimamizi?

Kwa kweli, akina-IMF hawana mengi ya kusema. Hamna cha kusema mpaka kufikia ukarasa 81 ya 97. Wafanyakazi wa IMF, wanatuambia kuwa walipata taarifa ya “an alleged impropriety” baada ya kumaliza ripoti yao ya mwisho kuhusu PRGF.

Following issuance of the staff report for Tanzania’s sixth and final PRGF review, and request for a three year PSI, the staff learned of an alleged impropriety involving payments to a third party by the BoT. The allegation raised questions regarding program implementation, capacity to repay the Fund, and the consistency of the BoT’s practices with the Fund’s safeguard’s policy, including the BoT’s own commitments following the December 2003 Safeguards Assessment. The alleged impropriety has also given rise to reputational risks for both the fund and the BoT. As a result, Board consideration of the report, scheduled for December 6, was postponed and the PRGF was extended to mid-August 2007 to all the staff additional time to seek from the authorities (i)clarification of the nature of the alleged impropriety; and (ii) reasonable assurances that no systemic problem exists that give rise to safeguards concerns. The staff has also reached understanding on the adoption of remedial actions.

Mambo haya ya malipo yasiyo sahihi, yalichunguzwa na audit firm moja, ambayo, ilifukuzwa na serikali baada ya kueleza mambo haya kwa IMF. Baada ya hapo, tunaambiwa kuwa IMF iliwasiliana na serikali ya Tanzania, mpaka Ikulu. Inaonekana kuwa IMF walikubali maelezo yote ya serikali.

“Remedial actions” hizo, zinaelezwa zaidi ndani ya barua kutoka Mh Zakia Hamdani Meghji, Waziri wa Fedha kwa Mkurugenzi wa IMF, Rodrigo de Rato ya tarehe 8 Februari 2007. Kwa ufupi, serikali inaamini kuwa skendo ni “an isolated occurence”, wameanza uchunguzi wao, na pia, watapata audit firm kutoka nje kuchunguza zaidi.

Mambo haya tunayafahamu, lakini, nilishtushwa zaidi kusoma “Statement by Peter Gakunu, Executive Director for United Republic of Tanzania and Joseph L. Masawe, Senior Advisor to the Executive Director”, ambayo ni appendix kwenye ripoti hiyo ya IMF.

Gakunu na Masawe wanatuambia kuwa

Without prejudging the outcome of the audit, my authorities believe that this is an isolated incident and do [sic] not pose reputational or safeguard risks at the BOT. The BOT has been the first institution in Tanzania to become IFRS compliant and remains so.

Yaani, bila kusibiri matokeo ya uchunguzi, wanataka kutoa maoni yao kuwa mambo yanaendelea vizuri.

Mwishoni, Gakunu na Masawe ni akinanani? Gakunu yupo IMF, baada ya kuwa afisa wa ngazi ya juu katika Wizara wa Fedha ya Kenya. Na Masawe? Yupo IMF pia. Kabla ya kuanza kwa IMF, alikuwa Deputy Director wa Bank of Tanzania – akiwajibika kwa na Daudi Balali, Gavana wa Benki Kuu ya Tanzania.