Fraudsters target investors, traders

Dar es Salaam. A wave of cheating that targets investors and business people have emerged in the country, tarnishing the country’s international image, The Citizen can report.

In a recent incident, conmen are said to have relieved one Nhat Anh Company (NAC) of Vietnam of $72,900 (Sh160 million), being 10 per cent of the $729,000 paid to an individual who introduced himself as representing the International Metal Traders Group (T) Limited, (IMTGL) which had signed an agreement to supply 540 tonnes of raw cashew nuts to a Vietnamese company.

Vietnamese companies’ involvement played an important role in scaling up raw cashew nut prices in the southern regions (Lindi and Mtwara) last season but criminals also saw it as an opportunity to swindle some foreign firms.

NAC director Le Quynh Nhi told The Citizen in a recent interview that early this year, her company signed a contract with IMTGL representative introduced by one name, Mr Balyanda who was accompanied by three other people. She said they had struck a deal on the supply of 540 tonnes of cashew nuts. After the deal, Mr Balyanda took the Vietnamese to some warehouses where the purported cashew nuts were stored.

“It was in our agreement that after signing the contract and paid a visit to the warehouse, IMTGL should be paid 10 per cent of the agreed total amount, which we did. The company was supposed to receive another 10 per cent after acquiring loading documents from authorities at the Dar es Salaam Port and that the remaining 80 per cent was to be paid after the arrival of the cargo in Vietnam,” she said.

How company was conned

Ms Le said she had known IMTGL through the Internet in websites such as www.tradekey.com where the company is introduced as dealing in purchasing and selling minerals and agricultural produce, including cashew nut.

Through the website, she initiated communications with the company’s official called Mr Balyanga who had advised her to travel to Dar es Salaam to finalise business discussions. She arrived in Dar es Salaam in the early days of March this year where they agreed on important terms of the business. It was within their agreement that the contract be signed before the advocate approved by both sides and in this case, it was Rungwe and Co. Advocates. The advocate was also assigned to ensure payments were effected to appropriate person. The firm is owned by the politician and former presidential candidate Hashim Rungwe.

“By this agreement the first and second batch of the per cent were to be paid through the advocate and that IMTGL was supposed to collect their payment from the advocate. That is what we did to the 10 per cent initial payment we made after signing the contract. We deposited $72,900 in Mr Hashim Rungwe’s CRDB account, before the same was paid to Mr Balyanda on behalf of IMTGL,” she said.

After signing the contract Ms Le travelled back to Vietnam to wait for the consignment. But it never arrived.

Concerned she travelled back to Tanzania.

“I visited Mr Rungwe’s office to establish whether he could trace Mr Balyanda. He said he never saw those people again after they received the payment and, an alarm bell rang. I reported the issue to the Oysterbay Police Station where I was given RB number OB/RB/4354/2017,” she said.

Rungwe speaks out

The 2015 General Election presidential candidate through Chaumma admitted to have had IMTGL and Nhat Anh Company representatives as clients. And he admits to have paid the IMTGL representative on March 9 this year after the money was deposited the previous day into his account and after Nhat Anh’s approval as the contract indicated.

“My office deals with many clients. I am not obliged to know the client’s background. My role was restricted to ensuring payment reached the right entity and I executed that. Since I wasn’t involved in the final process of their business, I ended my duty after the payment was effected to the seller,” he said.

Mr Rungwe said Mr Balyanda’s accent resembles that of people from Northern Africa, especially Cameroon and Nigeria and that his three accomplices were of Tanzanian origin.

“I advised Ms Le to file a case at the court. I promised to provide her a law firm reputable enough to represent her at the court while I serve as her witness. I didn’t see her again, I don’t know what she decided,” he told this paper in an interview at his Kijitonyama office.

Search for IMTGL

The Business Registration and Licensing Agency, (Brela) through its online official search report filed to The Citizen on May 5, this year shows IMTGL was registered on October 17, 2008 and given incorporation Number 67976.

According to the document, it was located at Kelvin House, Samora Avenue. At the same time information available in the www.tradekey.com website shows that the company came to effect from May 22, 2013 with certificate No: 67976 and TIN NO: 120-884-336. “Our office is located at Plot No: 830 Coca Cola Road, Kinondoni. P. O. Box 41, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania,” the information reads in part.

But, when The Citizen visited Kelvin House located at Samora Avenue in the Dar es Salaam City Centre at two different occasions, a source asked not to be named said the company had never occupied any of the offices in the premises.

“I have been here for over 20 years. I know almost all companies which have rented here, but the company you are referring to never had offices here,” he said.