Religious leaders in Tanzania want Mbowe case dropped, ask Samia to intervene
Thursday March 03 2022
Tanzania's President Samia Suluhu Hassan (centre) with religious leaders at State House Dar es Salaam. PHOTO | COURTESY via THE CITIZEN
Religious leaders in Tanzania on Wednesday urged the government to end the case against opposition leader Freeman Mbowe and his co-accused.
They made the plea during a meeting with President Samia Suluhu Hassan at the State House Dar es Salaam.
“The religious leaders used the meeting with President Hassan to ask authority responsible for that matter to end the case,” reads the statement from the Director of Presidential Communications, Zuhura Yunus.
Mbowe, the Chadema chairman, and his co-accused face six counts, including conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, whereas Mbowe alone faces a separate charge of financing acts of terrorism in the Economic Sabotage Case Number 16 of 2021.
The High Court’s Corruption and Economic Crimes Division, on February 14, said that Mbowe and the three co-accused have a case to answer.
During end of the year prayers in 2021, religious leaders asked President Samia to promote reconciliation so that the country heals.
They urged the government to drop baseless cases, especially those involving political and religious leaders.
Prior to the religious leaders’ request, various political leaders also urged the President to drop Mbowe’s case and set him free.
On December 15 last year, ACT-Wazalendo party leader and the Tanzania Centre for Democracy (TCD) chairman, Mr Zitto Kabwe, asked President Samia to intervene so that authorities release Mbowe.
During her trip to Europe last month, President Samia met Chadema’s Deputy Chairman Tundu Lissu, who later revealed six key issues that transpired in their talks, including the terrorism charges against Mbowe. He said he urged the President to intervene in the case.