DAR ES SALAAM, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) -- A Tanzanian special investigative team has started probing production and business activities at the Mwadui Diamond Mine owned by Williamson Diamonds Limited (WDL) in Shinyanga region, a senior official said on Monday.
The investigations followed a directive by President Magufuli who had instructed defense and security organs to investigate top officials implicated in two reports by parliamentary investigative committees on diamonds and tanzanite mining.
Zainab Terack, the Shinyanga regional commissioner, said the investigative team was comprised of police, defense and security officers.
Terack said WDL on Sunday suspended production operations at the mine to pave way for the investigations that will focus on staff in sensitive units supervising mining, valuation and ferrying.
"Operations of the mine will resume after completion of the investigations," she said.
On Saturday, Tanzanian police in Manyara region said they were questioning three officials of Sky Associates Group Limited which owns Tanzanite One Mining Limited, a gemstone mining company.
The three officials were implicated in two reports by parliamentary investigative committees presented to President John Magufuli on Thursday.
Last week, Tanzanian Minister for Finance and Planning Philip Mpango ordered confiscation of assets belonging to officials implicated in the diamonds mining fraud chain that he said has caused huge loss to the east African nation.
Speaking shortly before he was shown diamonds seized last week at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA), Mpango said: "All the assets belonging to officials in the diamond mining business should be confiscated forthwith."
The seizure of the diamonds was made a few days before two reports by Tanzanian parliamentary investigative committees on diamonds and tanzanite mining which revealed massive corruption, secrecy, cheating, tax evasion and negligence by government officials.
The reports were presented to President John Magufuli on Thursday last week by Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa.
President Magufuli also ordered the suspension of senior officials implicated in the two reports last week.
