This archive report was first published on 5 August 2019.
On August 5, 2019, Tanzanian journalist Erick Kabendera faced charges of economic crimes at the Resident Magistrate's Court in Kisutu, Dar es Salaam.
Initially arrested on July 29, 2019, for investigating his citizenship, the charges against Kabendera have shifted over the past week.
According to the charge sheet, Kabendera allegedly committed the offences between January 2015 and July 2019.
He is accused of knowingly assisting in the conduct of a criminal racket, with intent to reap profit or other benefits.
The journalist is also accused of failing to pay tax of Tsh173.2 million (Ksh7.8 million) and laundering Tsh173.2 million (Ksh7.8 million).
Charges against Kabendera have changed in the last week, with police initially investigating his citizenship and his lawyers releasing a statement saying he would be charged with sedition in connection to an article published in The Economist about the nation's president.
-Additional reporting by BBC.
