THE Managing Director of Viettel Tanzania Limited, Do Manh Hong
THE Managing Director of Viettel Tanzania Limited, Do Manh Hong (44), has (today) been charged with several counts relating to forgery and fraudulent use of communication network and occasioning loss of 459m/- to the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) and the government.
Viettel Tanzania Limited, trading as Halotel, is a mobile communications company, providing voice, messaging, data and converged services in Tanzania. It is owned by Viettel Global, the state-owned Investment Company from Vietnam investing in Telecommunications market in several countries.
Hong, a Vietnamese national, was joined in the trial at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam facing eight other foreigners.
Before Principal Resident Magistrate Wilbard Mashauri, the accused person was not allowed to enter plea to the counts because he is facing economic charges. The magistrate remanded him in custody as his court lacked jurisdiction to determine any bail application.
He directed the accused persons to go to the Economic, Corruption and Organized Crime High Court’s Division to seek bail, if he so wished. Magistrate Mashauri adjourned the case to May 25, for mention.
Other accused persons are Dilshad Ahmed (36), Rohail Yaqoob (47), Khalid Mahmood (59), Ashfaq Ahmed (38), Muhamad Aneess (48), Imtiaz Ammar (33), who are Pakistan nationals; Ramesh Kandasamy (36), a Sri- Lanka national and Viettel Tanzania Limited.
They are also charged with conspiracy to commit offences, importation and installation of electronic communication equipment without a licence, use of unapproved electronic equipment and operating electronic communications without a licence and conspiracy to commit an offence.
The prosecution led by Senior State Attorneys Jehovanase Zacharia alleged that on or before November 2016,within the City of Dar es Salaam, all accused persons conspired to commit an offence of fraudulent use of network facilities.
It is alleged that on diverse dates between November 2016 and February 2017 in the city, the accused persons unlawfully created a system designated to fraudulently use or obtain network service with intent to avoid rates payable for receiving or transmitting international incoming traffic.
According to the prosecution, the accused persons are alleged to have terminated international incoming traffic by using unlicenced gateway.
The prosecution told the court that within the same period, the accused persons unlawfully operated international gateway for receiving and transmitting international telecommunication traffic without a licence issued by the Authority.
It is alleged further that on or before November 20, last year in the city, the accused persons unlawfully imported into Tanzania some electronic communication equipment, which are one Sim Boxes without having a licence issued by TCRA.
The court heard further that in November 2016, in Dar es Salaam, the accused persons installed and maintained the said equipments and two laptops make Dell without a licence issued by TCRA.
It is alleged that between November 2016 and February 2017 in the city, the accused persons used the equipment connected to electronic communications network service for the purpose of receiving and transmitting electronic communication signals without approval of the Authority.
The prosecution alleged that within the same period at Halotel Offices, Victoria area, Viettel Tanzania Limited and Do Manh Hong, being telecommunication service provider and the managing director of Viettel Tanzania Limited, respectively, failed to verify information provided by Unex Company Limited.
Such information, according to the prosecution, related to the registration of 1,000 SIM cards.
It is alleged that on January 5, 2016, in the city, with intent to defraud, all accused persons, except Viettel Tanzania Limited and Do Manh Hong, forged certificate of registration for Tax Payer Identification Number.
They purported to show that it was issued by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), a fact which they knew was false.
Between November 2016 and February 2017, at Halotel Offices, knowingly and fraudulently, Yaqoob uttered such certificate to an employee of Viettel Tanzania Limited, Fatuma Ally.
The prosecution further told the court that within the same period, being unlicensed network facility operators, by willful act, the accused persons unlawfully terminated international telecommunications traffic by using unlicensed gateway, thereby causing pecuniary loss of 459m/- to TCRA and government.
Source: DailyNews
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