September 28, 2017
By Faustine Kapama
THIRTY-NINE Ethiopian immigrants, some once found in a truck owned by Dangote Cement Limited, appeared before the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam yesterday, charged with illegal stay and entering Tanzania illegally. They were charged along with five Tanzanians, who now face separate counts of smuggling the immigrants in two batches.
The first batch involves 31 Ethiopians and the second eight of them. All the foreigners pleaded
However, all Tanzanians, including the truck driver, Khalid Sadik, denied the charges read before them by a prosecutor from the Immigration Department, Novatus Mlay. Other Tanzanians are Hussein Hassan, Jumanne Mtambo, Ibrahim Dikani and Christopher Kikwa.
The magistrate adjourned the two cases to October 10 and 11. The cases involving the foreigners would resume on those days for presentation of memorandum of facts, after they had admitted to the charges against them. While the cases for Tanzanians would come for mention, as investigations are incomplete.
All Tanzanians were granted bail on conditions of each securing two reliable sureties. Every surety, according to the magistrate, was ordered to sign a bond of 50m/-.
The magistrate, however, ordered the foreigners to remain in custody pending presentation of memorandum of facts of their cases.