By TZBN Staff.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has appointed Majaba Shabani Magana, an individual identified by a Tanzanian bank as a public relations Manager, to head Tanzania’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU).
A Government statement issued from Zanzibar on December 13, 2024 says Magana is to replace Fatma Ayoub Mwinyimvua Simba. The Statement was issued by the Chief Secretary, Ambassador Moses Kusiluka, and distributed by State House Communications Director Sharifa Nyanga.
The Government says prior to this FIU appointment, Mr. Magana was Head of Service to Corporate Clients at Azania Bank. But publicly available information from Azania Bank describes Mr. Magana as an Azania Bank Public Relations Manager.
Mr. Magana does not appear on the ten-member senior management team at Azania Bank. He also does not appear on the eight-member Board of Directors published on the bank’s website. It was not immediately possible to obtain Mr. Magana’s accademic qualifications.
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The Tanzania Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) was established in September 2007 under the Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) of 2006 as a tool to combat money laundering and terrorist financing in the country. FIU’s responsibilities include ensuring a stable financial system through detecting and preventing money laundering, terrorist financing and associated crimes.
FIU receives suspicious transaction reports from reporting persons from banks and other places public and private. The Commission Analyzes and disseminates intelligence to law enforcement agencies guided by a high desgree of Integrity, Confidentiality and Professionalism.
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A Twitter post (now X), published by Azania Bank in Zanzibar on January 11, 2024, identifies Mr. Magana as a Public Relations Manager. How well this public relations manager will be able to analyse suspicisous financial transactions remains to be seen. One social media commentator asks whether Mr. Magana was a public servant or not while at Azania Bank.
Azania Bank, also known as First Adili Bancorp, is one of small banks that operate on the fringes of mainstream banking in Tanzania. It is not publicly listed. Shareholders include individuals and Tanzania pension funds.
The bank was established in 1995 and currently described as a ‘tier one-sized commercial bank that engages in retail banking, corporate banking, lease financing, foreign exchange transactions and import/export financing, as well the issuance of letters of credit.
