How Residents Magistrates’ Court hears the Organized Crime Offences. (Law school bar/oral question)

How Residents Magistrates’ Court  hears  the Organized Crime  Offences?

Generally offences  under  the Economic  and  Organized  Crime Control  Act,  1984  Cap 200 are tried  by the High Court  after  the DPP Consents to be tried. However  Courts subordinate  to the High  Court may hear Organized Crime offences if  two things are done; thus: i).  DPP like in the High Court must give consent for prosecution of organized crime case per  section 26  of  Act No.  13  of 1984. ii). DPP must issue certificate conferring  jurisdiction to RMs’ Court to try  Organized Crimes case as per  section 12(3A)  of Act No.  13  of 1984  as amended.  

                  N.B  Generally  the  jurisdiction  to hear and determine  economic crime cases  is  vested  in  high  Court  of Tanzania. See  section  3(1)  of Act No.  13  of 1984.  The  court  sits as Economic  Crimes  Court  per  section  3(2)  of the  same  Act.  The constitution of the Economic  Crimes  Court  is  judge  of the High Court  and  two  lay  members.  See  section  4  of the Act.                                                      

Notice:  section 26  of the Economic and organized Crime Control Act, 1984  provides  for the requirements of DPP  consent  before instituting  criminal  trials in  respect  of  criminal  offences.  Section 26(2) of the same  Act  empowers DPP by NOTICE published in the Gazette to delegate some of  his powers in this referred  to State Attorney by specifying  Economic offences which require his personal  consent  and those that  can  be consented by some  State Attorney. By Government  Notice  No.  191/1984  the DPP reserved to his own consent the prosecution  of offences specified in Part  1 of the Schedule to  the Notice  and delegated to State Attorney incharge of the  Zone  or  Region in which  the Organized offence  took place. The power  to consent to prosecution of offences  specified under  Part  11  of the Schedule to the  Notice.  Examples  are offences under  The  Wildlife Conservation  Act do fall under the Schedule to  Government Notice  No.  191/1984.