WELCOME TO 'INVESTOR FRIENDLY' TANZANIA
In 2004, Benjamin and Millie Mengi sold though their company Fiona Tanzania, the lease to Silverdale & Mbono Farms in the Hai District of the Kilimanjaro region of Tanzania to Silverdale Tanzania Ltd a company in which British investor Stewart Middleton ownes a controlling interest.
One year later, after being paid in full and signing a receipt Benjamin Mengi began negotiating with another British investor Konrad Legg, of Tudeley Estates, to sell the lease to him a second time.
Mengi demanded that the British investors handed the lease back to him stating that he had not been paid in full and that $7,000 was still owing to him.
When the investors refused a four year campaign of terror, legal abuse and harassment was unleashed against them which was and continues to be facilitated by the Tanzanian police force, judiciary, State institutions and government Ministers.
The police have persistently terrorised, imprisoned and unlawfully arrested and imprisoned Stewart Middleton and his Tanzanian staff. In the main the abuse has ben led by the Moshi police headed and directly facilitated by Mr Lucas Ng'hoboko the Regional Police commander for the Kilimanjaro region who the investors describe as an overtly corrupt police offcier supporting the criminal actiivities of Banjamin Mengi.
President Kikwete has promised the British government that the situation would be fairly resolved. He reneged on his promise and the investors had to flee for their lives in 2008 with the total loss of their investment.
The police constantly came to the gates of Silverdale Farm demanding entry on varying complaints initiated by Benjamin Mengi, Millie Mengi or his associate Anold Kimaro who holds himself out as an attorney for Mengi in 14 abusive law plants brought against the investors and their staff to harass them.
The police always came to the farms armed with AK 47s and were abusing their powers in that they had no power to enter the farm and their purpose was to intimidate. Benjamin Mengi was almost always leading the police proceedings.
In November 2005, Mengi stated in front of the senior officer of Boma Ngombe police (seen here in this video) that '..he was black, you are white and the police here are in my hands and will do nothing to protect you..'
Mengi stated that he would drive the investors out of Tanzania by any means and if necessary, would chop them to pieces with a machete and send them back to Zimbabwe in a coffin. He was not arrested for this abuse.
This video shows some of the daily harassment of the investors by the police. The officers, armed with AK 47 machine guns, come to the farm and demand entry.
They are asked what they want and to state what power under the penal Code of Tanzania, they have power to enter.
They never state the later. Firstly they state they have come to the farm to investigate the theft of Mengi's cattle from the farm. Mengi and his wife, keep 120 cattle on the farm unlawfully. They use them to destroy the investors crops produced for export. the Mengis are therefore guilty of criminal trespass and the police do nothing to stop the continuance of this serious criminal offence and situation. The cattle are used as a tool of harassment.
The police are asked who the complainant is. They state Benjamin Mengi. The investors point out that he is in India.
The police then change their story and state that the complainant is now Mengis cattle staff (seen in the video on the left). The police are told that the cattle staff are trespassing on the farm, as are the cattle, that they do not own the cattle and therefore have no right of criminal complaint. The officer is asked what power he has to enter the farms. He refuses to state what power he is operating under. The offcier then is just not sure why he is there and can clearly be heard to say 'maybe the complaint is theft of cattle'.
The police are corrupt abusive and acting as an instrument of promoting Mengi's criminal activities. The investors are bonafide in all respects and yet the police ar ignoring the laws of Tanzania and allowing Mengi to commit criminal trespass on the farms with his cattle.
The investors state that had the police been given permission to enter, they would have made an unlawful arrest of Stewart Middleton or one of his staff.
The investors also state that they would not have obstructed the police had they been acting in the lawful execution of their duty.
A history of this case can be seen at: -
http://www.theyworkforyou.com/whall/?id=2008-02-27b.272.0
The U.K. is the largest donor of foreign aid to Tanzania and it is a country that is vocally, rhetorically committed to being an 'investor friendly' country.
WELCOME TO INVESTOR FRIENDLY TANZANIA!!!!!!!!!!!
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Violence against civilians in Zimbabwe part 2/2 (2008)by zimnewsflash12,849 views
power corrupts
desirejoseph26 2 years ago
is it just me or is there nothing stopping people just walking around that gate?
itsazy 2 years ago 2
Thats awfull!
dirtyversion182 2 years ago
My poor country.
aaroneu07 2 years ago