Dr Shika and CIA PUZZLE

Dar es Salaam. Was Dr Louis Shika a CIA agent? What of his fascination with “owning billions” of shillings from sources that remain but puzzling? These are some of the questions surrounding the controversial life of an apparent lonely old man now at the centre of the unfolding story befitting a movie script. With roots in Tanzania, Russia, Spain and the shadowy links to the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Dr Shika’s story continues to baffle those following his tale. It started with his astonishing Sh3.2 billion bid for three mansions associated with equally controversial businessman Mr Said Lugumi, whose property was put up for sale by the Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA) to recover unpaid tax. Dr Shika was then remanded for failing to transact the mandatory 25 per cent of the deal, which made him a social media sensation. Yesterday, former Tanzania’s ambassador to Russia Mr Patrick Chokala confirmed that he oversaw the repatriation of Dr Shika from Russia in 2004 following a kidnap experience in which he lost three fingers. Dr Shika has confirmed that he was kidnapped by unknown people who were demanding $1.2 million from him while in Russia. “It is true the guy was a doctor and studied at Lumumba University….it is also not the first time that he is associated with big money, because he may have been kidnapped in Russia for ransom,” said Mr Chokala, adding that Dr Shika used to boast publicly of owning millions of dollars. The former envoy said the embassy repatriated Dr Shika shortly after being released. However, a Tanzanian national in Russia, who said he had probed into a company that Dr Shika was associated with, said it run operations worth millions of dollars, which have since been abandoned when Russian authorities reportedly linked it with several CIA-leaning organisations. According to the Tanzania, who posted his detailed account on social media, individuals who knew Dr Shika told him he was kidnapped alongside a Kenyan and Sierra Leone national who were killed. Among the properties abandoned in Russia by the company called Lancefort are planes, a fact that Dr Shika corroborated in his media interview