Tanzania: Hearing of Mbowe’s terrorism-financing case starts at High Court – The Citizen Tanzania

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Tanzania: Hearing of Mbowe’s terrorism-financing case starts at High Court – The Citizen Tanzania

8:38 CAT | 03 Sep 2021

Chadema chairman, Freeman Mbowe.[Photo: Sunday George]

Hearing of a case in which Chadema’s national Chairman, Freeman Mbowe, and three other men stand trial over terrorism-related offences and economic sabotage has started at the High Court.

There was heavy deployment of security officers at the High Court (Corruption and Economic Crimes Division) as Mr Mbowe and co-accused were brought at the court’s premises.

The hearing is under Judge Elinaza Luvanda.

Read: Leader of Tanzania’s main opposition party arrested in Mwanza – AFP

Today, this court will continue with the preliminary hearing (PH) of the objections filed by the defendants through a panel of their 14 lawyers, led by Peter Kibatala.

In the objection, the defendants claim that the indictment has legal defects along with other matters claiming that the Terrorism Act with which they are accused does not specify the ingredients for the Terrorism offense and that the prosecution has not complied with the mandatory provisions of the Act of terrorism which the defendants are accused of committing.

Read: Tanzanian opposition leader Tundu Lissu leaves for Belgium

Already the prosecution, led by Senior State Counsel Robert Kidando, have begun responding to the defense arguments of the objection, presented by the defense attorneys on Wednesday, September1, 2021.

The government is represented by a panel of five State attorneys.

The first accused is Halfan Bwire Hassan, second Adam Hassan Kasekwa, third is Mohamed Abdillahi Ling’wenya and fourth Freeman Aikael Mbowe.

Thank you @SenatorCardin for virtual meeting with your chief of staff Tom Melia, @Liberatus80, @godbless_lema, Dr. Nhigula & myself, in which we discussed arbitrary arrest of opposition leader @freemanmbowetz, deepening political repression & human rights crisis in #Tanzania pic.twitter.com/Ug5TeMjo1v

— Tundu Antiphas Lissu (@TunduALissu) August 20, 2021