There are two chinese Telecom companies amassing wealth selling useless electronic gadgets to the gov't owned telecommunication corporation, SO CALLED ETC. ETC under thief Tesfaye Birru, a mathematics graduate, is in a total mess. Within two years ETC has bought worthless gadgets whose worth is 1.5 Billion Dollars. The two chinese companies could get lion's share from this bulk purchase. The General Manager of ETC, Tesfaye Biru, is a close confidente of Meles Zenawi. Tesfaye Birru is licensed to rob. He is given a full authorisation to go into corrupt practices and take bribe from companies. The weekly newspaper 'REPORTER" wrote for about 9 months with solid evidences about the corrupt practices in the Ethiopian Telecommunicationbns Corporation i.e ETC. Another newspaper called 'nation' exposed about the under the table transaction with the two chinese companies, ZTE and Huwawei. The newspaper - nation- wrote about ETC for 6 months. No measure taken so far against Tesfaye Biru. Somebody on this forum mentioned about "transparent corruption". Corruption here is legal for the TPLF supporters. Actually they contribute to TPLF from the money they have looted. They report how much they have looted. TPLF decides how much it deserves and give the rest to Tesfaye Biru. IS IT NOT TRANSPARENT???

Email: TK@yahoo.com

City: Addis

In Ethiopia today the MOTHER OF ALL CORRUPTIONS is taking place at the Ethiopian Telecommunications Corporation. It is shocking to hear 1.5 billion Dollars wasted in vain by the current "manager" of ETC, Ato Tesfaye Biru. Almost all independent press have reported about it. No measure taken so far. Tesfaye Biru is a licensed thief.

Email: must@yahoo.com

City: Addis

A single mobile system bought from ZTE of China is about to be dismantled. The system costed ETC 400 Million Ethiopian Birr. It sounds a fairy tale. But it is true. In a country where over scores of millions of people are living on food hand out coming from the west, Tesfaye Birru threw 400 Million Birr into the bush.

Email: malberto@yahoo.com

City: Addis

Mesfin:
It is NOT only the chinese mobile system, but also many other projects also have become a fiasco. Let us take the School Net. It was meant to introduce an interactive i.e two way distant education. It was meant economical use of our human resources. The pioneers of these were thrown into jail and the whole project given to this DENKORO called Tesfaye Birru. A VSAT instrumen was bought for 30 Million USD. Many said it is NOT the correct move. The American company that sold the VSAT (a sattelite equipment) advised them to buy the latest version. That does not give them a good kick back. They opposed it and bought an old model. Now, there is no School Net. What we have is totally different from what was envisaged by the former ETC officials. Infact it is the anti-thesis of it. What they do now to insert a video casette and listen to a recorded lecture. For this no need of spending 30 Million USD. Only ordinary TV sets in each school could have done the job.

Email: AS@yahoo.com

City: Addis

The mastermind and the main source of corruption is the top leader Meles. If he was not he could have done something against these bloodsuckers. Meles and his gangsters have done enough damage to our country more than any leaders in Ethiopian history. All citizens of Ethiopia, those who care for the underprivileged from every ethnic group should unite and speak in one voice to get rid of these chorines. Some of you who are strong believers of Christ and strong believers of the merciful Allah need to stand up against human sufferings.

Dear Tolesa Irebo,

Tesfaye Birru is not corrupt the system is corrupt if you want to fix the system that good by be but if you want to replace Mr. Tesfaye Birru by CUD support named Tolesa, or Baisia then it would be only a matter of time Mr. Tolesa who is the CUD supporter would be corrupt as well.

Think about is you are controling 1.5 billion dollars worth of investment and you take home only 3000 birr and you have ten kids who are out of school or same of them in school... you have wife and poor reletive who like to support then this Chinese companies come and offer you 100,000 dollars all you have to do is buy their staff... I think any body will be corrupt for the right price.

Now look my remady for this you give Mr. Tesfaye Birru or any ETC CEO 1% of the profit they make for the company.

ok lets say ETC MAKE 10 million birr this year Tesfaye Birru get 1%

Wow! Tulu, you are out of this world in every sense of the word.

Tulu:
In a way you are right. What I didn't understand is where you are up to. Shall we legalise corruption? Tesfaye Biru has stashed millions of Dollars in European banks. About 20 million people are living on food hand out coming from the west. Don't you think Tesfaye Biru and Cos should face a trial in liberated Ethiopia? The problem is if he absconds earlier. I suspect he will soon flee Ethiopia. There is nothing left. Tesfaye Biru looted ETC to bleeding.

Email: AS@yahoo.com

City: Addis

Tulu:
I work for ETC. Tesfaye Biru for sure is NOT a weyane supporter. I have had a lengthy discussion with him on the Ethiopian politics. He is NOT in favor of Weyane or CUD. He doesn't care about any of them. What he cares is about the MONEY he loots each day. He might be giving a lip service to the weyanes. Stupids as they are, they may think he is their guy. But he is not. Not at all!!!. He is simply after MONEY, MONEY and MONEY. So, don't think Tesfaye Biru is a weyane supporter. As far as I know he hates them.

Email: fatuma@yahoo.com

City: Addis

Fatuma:
It doesn't matter whether or not Tesfaye Biru of ETC supports weyane. The issue at hand is corruption. Weyane could be behind it. Maybe not. It is difficult to say with a definite precision weyane is behind it. Individuals like wetetew Getachew Belay for sure is in it. Weyane as an entity may or may not be in it. One thing certain is Tesfaye Biru of ETC receives too much protection from the high profile politicians like Kasu Illala, Getachew Belay, Haile Asegde. Besides, Tesfaye Biru openly " boasts" he can let anyone land in jail by reporting to Meles Zenawi. Some 9 months before three former ETC officials were detained by order of Meles Zenawi.

Email: AT@yahoo.com

City: Addis

The initiation to be part of Meles’s gang member is looting.

The Chinese companies especially ZTE hired officials from ETC to work for them at their company in Addis. These loyal staffs were cooperating to facilitate the tender evaluation and awarding process with Ato Tesfaye Biru. BALEWULETAWOCH!!!!

Tesfaye Biru is taking too much comfort from his r'ship with Meles Zenawi. One thing he forgot is that he will soon turn against him for the corruption at ETC is becoming an int'l issue. I am quite positive it is a question of months, if not weeks.

Email: banley@hotmail.com

Bekilil:
Endafih yadriglin. ETC can't here after survive for two more years under the leadership of Tesfaye Biru. ETC did take incredible amount of loan from international and national financial institutions. But alnmost all investments have no return. For instance school net is being run at a loss and the school net is NOT at all school net in the real sense of the project. ETC is paying every month Millions of Birr to INTELSAT. BUT no return coming from the school net. Look, 30 million USD invested. Millions of Birr regularly being paid for the space segment and yet NO RETURN. NO RETURN AT ALL. Not only that. WE DON"T HAVE SCHOOL NET AT ALL. Huh, it is sickening.

Email: fatuma@yahoo.com

Hey, hey what do u mean? 2 years? 2 years is too long. ETC will crumble like babylon very shortly.

Email: at@yahoo.com

I work in tele from 1987-2003 as a computer programmer 5 in different managerial positions. I resigned from the lovely company hating my immidiate - long experienced, history loving - bosses.
I appreciate Ato Tesfaye for his devotion, ambition & the change what he has mdae in a relatively short time. I'm sure genuine employees this idea. Despite the fact tele was untouchable The govt and Tesfaye r doeing well, examplery for other telecoms in Afrca and other sectors in Ethiopia. I have a quiz to ato Tesfaye or concerned pudit about what they are digging everywhre.
1. That's ambitious.
2. doesn't consider the culture nor count the abuse of coin boxes by laymen.
3. I'm writing this via the net. It's enough for me.
Bravo Tesfaye! all ur succesful projects are appreciated. Inorder to do this, You might have neglected "Fiyel Kemedresua" Yemilu 20 years yalseru ediot Enginneers. That's all. Ethiopia needs such aggressive & devoted managers! Bravo Tesfaye. We need more from U except for aggressivevely designed & cheaply replacable Projects like coaxial fibers

Email: demekew@yahoo.com

City: Jimma

love tele - live tele - leave tele:
I read your silly comment and laughed bottom up. I said to myself this can't be no one else, but Tesfaye Biru himself who is in the mood of self praising. Which project are you talking about? Do you know how much money spent on the chinese mobile network? We bought the system for 400 million Ethiopian Birr. Now, where is it? It is on the process of being dismantled to be dumped at the "famous" ware house. Tesfaye Biru lied to the gov't by saying he wanted to use it for the country side. That system doesn't work anywhere. Besides, why should a garbage be sent to KILIL? People in Kilil are not second class citizens. Where is SCHOOL NET? What does school net mean? Is there a school net in Ethiopia at present? No, not at all!. But for the school net project Tesfaye Biru bought a 30 million united states dollars worth VSAT. The VSAT bought, but of no use. 30 million USD thrown into the bush. What else you want to hear? I assure you Tele will go bankrupt within a year, a year and half or a maximum of two years. Do you know how much money Tesfaye Biru stashed in German Bank? Do you know he has become one of the few rich guys in Ethiopia. It is blood money. I have rendered you lifeless. I give you time to recuperate.

Email: at@yahoo.com

Tesfaye Biru bought useless gadgets worth 1.7 billion USD. You just multiply 1.7 billion by 7 and you will know how much Ethiopian Birr Tesfaye Biru threw into the bush. Tesfaye Biru knows nothing about telecom. He has never ever worked in a telecom environment. He is a mathematics graduate with NO knowledge about the telecom. The Ethiopian gov't in good faith thought this guy may do something good. The Ethiopian gov't focusses on dev't and Tesfaye cheated the gov't by saying "I know about IT" blah blah garbage. It and ICT are two diametrically different things. IT is strictly computer, data processing, whereas ICT is intererelated with the telecom, the converegence with broadcasting etc. I am quite positive EPRDF will come to its sense and take serious measure against this thief, Tesfaye Biru. We could have built another two telecom companies with 1.7 billion dollars. I appeal to EPRDF to come to its senses and take appropriate measure against this useless scoundrel, Tesfaye Biru.

Email: gmahtot@yahoo.com

You don't need to check on the profile of Tesfaye to see what a corrupt man he is. As a wise man he doen't show up his money and says that he still lives in the apartment not even in his own house (God knows if this is true). But when you see the changes that he made to his own families you will be surprised. His brother named Mulugeta who didn't have anything is now driving a Freelander and other cars changing whatever he likes. People close to Tesfaye's families also say that his families are spending the money that is looted from Ethiopian people like hell - as if it is the money of enemy.

So what is going to happen next - only God knows.

Email: alemneh@hotmail.com

City: Addis Ababa

This whole thing about corruption is to justify and speed up privatization. Sooner or later big corporations like tele, airlines, power, water etc will be privatized and sold to a foreign companies with tplf endowments under new names as small share holders.All this praise for Meles has been cause he allowed the west our country to be experimental ground for africa with their funcy democracy and market economy which bunkrupted latin Amerika.

Dear brothers and sisters,
these all things are the few results of the EPRDF system, on which they are proud of it. Indicating that they (Master-minds of EPRDF) do not care whether such scarce resource of the country is lost or not. The most important goal of them is to maximize their own private interest, private capital.

All Ethiopians must understand these facts and what the guys still are doing like selling of fixed assets like land (the only left asset) that could have been used by the next generation.

The only solution is to destroy the party or the masterminds. No less no more!

Email: quitlaugh@yahoo.com

City: AA

Feysa:
Do you think Meles is in the ETC's corruption called the MOTHER OF ALL CORRUPTIONS? I know for sure Haile Asegde, Kassu Illala and Getachew Belay are in it. 1.7 Billion Dollars spent on ETC within just 2 years and not more than 8-10% of this 1.7 Billion Dollars is used properly. The rest went to the pockets of the Ministers mentioned above and ofcourse TESFAYE BIRU who is the architect and the prime beneficiary of this corruption. I am not sure whether or not Meles is in it. I know he is corrupt. But I am not sure whether or not he is at the epicenter of ETC's corruption.

Email: AS@yahoo.com

Are you gays know all the crap you are talking about? Is this the same Tesfaye who resigned from AAU's V/president position opposing the woyane imposed student-teacher evaluation system. I don't know exactely what he is doing at ETC, I mean the corruption stuff. As far as I know him, he is the most ambitious man trying to change everything overnight. Tesfaye, the upper hand of Meles is beyound me. This must be the most rediculeous post I have ever read in this board. Please don't rush to gilt someone without full knowledge of him.

Selam Lehulachihu

Netsanet:
The Anti Corruption Commision officially named ETC as the most highly corrupt gov't owned company. The Commission said, "the corruption at ETC is unprecedented in the history of Ethiopia". If you are at home pls read the bulletin. You can freely get it from the Commission. And yet you dare to say Meles is at the epicenter of ETC's corruption. I don't think Meles is corrupt. If Meles was involved at the ETC's corruption, the Anti Corruption Commission headed by Meles himself wouldn't have issued such a statement. I think Meles is clean. You can blame Meles for not taking any action against TESFAYE BIRU. I hope he will let him land in jail very soon. Bravo Meles. I like Meles

Email: AA@yahoo.com