Chadema highlights controversies in Mbowe arrest saga

Dar es Salaam. Just days after the Police arrested opposition Chadema party chairman Freeman Mbowe over claims of involvement in assassination and terrorism conspiracies, the party has flatly denied the accusations saying the claims are designed to sabotage its political activities.

Chadema vice chairman Tundu Lissu, who currently resides in Belgium, yesterday revealed details of the resolutions reached by Chadema’s central committee, including forming two committees to further its political mission.

Mr Mbowe and several other party leaders were arrested on July 21 in Mwanza while preparing for a conference on a new constitution demand amid tussles with the police who brand the gathering “illegal.”

READ: Mbowe held on terrorism, assassination consipracies

However, Mr Mbowe was transferred to Dar es Salaam, where his house was searched during the night while a police statement on Thursday said the opposition politician was arrested because of his links with terrorism and a conspiracy to assassinate government leaders.

But, Mr Mbowe’s party said yesterday that the accusations were a plot to sabotage opposition political activities by the CCM-run government. “These accusations are part of a series of framed criminal offences against Mbowe and fellow Chadema leaders. It is a continued political war by CCM, police and security organs against Chadema,” said Mr Lissu.

Asked about the details of the offences Mr Mbowe was facing, Police spokesman David Misime declined to comment, saying that by doing so he would be divulging evidence that was supposed to be given only in a court of law.

“There are some other things that I cannot reveal because they are part of the evidence. What you are supposed to know is that he is accused of committing a certain offence, and the evidence will be given in a court. If you want to know names of those who conspired to assassinate, then you will get them in court,” said Mr Misime.

Asked about the reason for arresting Mr Mbowe ahead of the party’s new constitution forum and other alleged offences, Mr Misime replied that “There is no law that says how and when a person should be arrested. Any time we are satisfied with our evidence, we will arrest that person anywhere.”

Claiming in his statement that he had seen a charge sheet against Mbowe, Mr Lissu said the offence alleged to have been committed by Mr Mbowe was a result of the October 28, 2020 General Election in which his six guards were arrested.

“After the polls last year there was a fierce political war. To Mbowe, there was a big political war against him as his businesses were destroyed,” said Mr Lissu while naming some district commissioners whom he accused of having a role in the ordeals.

On Mbowe’s guards whose case (No. 63 of 2020) was filed at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam, Mr Lissu said among the six charges they were accused of were on terrorism and economic sabotage.

“The aim of joining the chairman in the case is to ensure that he is denied bail so that the struggle for demanding a new constitution fails,” claimed Mr Lissu.

Giving the example of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and colleagues who were found guilty of committing the offence of sedition in 1958, Mr Lissu said the case against Mr Mbowe and his colleagues were facing was a continuation of colonial repression.

“The history begins during the colonial era as the first victims to have faced sedition charges for political goals were Mwalimu Julius Nyerere and two editors,” said Mr Lissu.

Mr Lissu went on to explain that among the victims of that humiliation was he himself who was still facing six cases in court. He named former ACT-Wazalendo chairman Seif Sharif Hamad and other leaders of Africa including Nelson Mandela as the persons who tasted the similar fate.

Mr Lissu also faulted Mbowe’s arrest and his home search, saying: “the search in the chairman’s home was carried out at night while Tanzania’s laws say such searches should be carried out during the day.”

Responding, Dar es Salaam Special Zone Police Commander Jumanne Muliro denied any illegalities, saying that if there were any complaints about the whole process of carrying out the search, then such complaints should be filed in court.

“If we did carry out the search legally or illegally, we are awaiting you in a court. This is because they say that we even made arrests illegally and the charges are not genuine. Why should they start with court issues while we have not reached there?” said Muliro.

On Chadema’s stand, Mr Lissu said they had agreed to form a committee that would run an international campaign to tell the world about democracy suppression in the country. “We are going to tell the world about Tanzania’s oppressive laws that continue to be applied in the country - and that a new constitution is not wanted by the government,” said Mr Lissu.