Tanzania: Deci Leader Denies Knowledge of Scheme

FORMER senior leader of Jesus Christ Delivery Church, Timotheo Saigran Ole Leitg’nye, yesterday denied claims of receiving deposits from members of the public during the pyramid scheme known as DECI.

“The deposits were received by Development Entrepreneurship for Community Initiative (DECI) Tanzania Limited,” Ole Leitg’nye, who was the Managing Director of the company’s Board of Directors, told Resident Magistrate Stuart Sanga at the Kisutu Resident Magistrate’s Court in Dar es Salaam.

Ole Leitg’nye was giving evidence in the case in which he and other four top officials with the DECI are charged with operating the scheme and for receiving deposits and providing returns to people without a licence.

Led by his advocate Hudson Ndusyepo, the accused alleged that he was not directly involved in receiving the money from DECI members and distributing profits there from and the company had employed other people to coordinate such activities at different branches in the country.

He narrated that the board of directors of DECI had put in place a procedure of “sowing and harvesting seeds” for the purpose of establishing commercial projects to improve the lives of low income earners.

According to him, DECI had planned to invest heavily in other big projects including the development of plots they had obtained, but their mission was disrupted when government intervened and suspended operations of the scheme.

Under cross-examination by Senior State Attorney Prosper Mwangamila, the accused admitted that he was among top officials of DECI and had been operating the company together with four others, who are among the accused.

Asked why the “seeds” (monies) were deposited in accounts in the name of the church, instead of DECI accounts, the accused explained at that time they were still negotiating with the Bank of Tanzania (BoT) to secure a permit of legalising the operation of the scheme. Defence hearing continues on March 25.
Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)