State to confiscate Lutepo’s cashgate property

The State wants to confscicate the property and other assets belonging to imprisoned ‘chief cashgater’ Oswald Lutepo, Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) deputy director Reyneck Matemba has confirmed.

Cashgate prisoner Lutepo
Cashgate prisoner Lutepo

Matemba said they will seek a determination from High Court on pecuniary penalties to be meted out on Lutepo.

The jailed businessperson-cum-politician risks losing assets of his companies, among them, International Procurement Services, O and G Construction Limited, Woget Cotton Ginning which is undergoing bankruptcy proceedings and Naming’omba Tea Estates.

The 37-year-old Lutepo was slapped with the 11-year jail term which Justice Redon Kapindu passed at the High Court in Zomba on Friday.

On the first count of conspiracy to defraud government of K4.2 billion (US$9.3 million) between April and September 2013, Lutepo was slapped with the maximum sentence of three years imprisonment with hard labour (IHL) while money laundering earned him eight years IHL.

Lutepo told reporters that he has decided to become an “ambassador against crime and corruption” and also an advocate for minority rights in Malawi.

The cashgate prisoner said he is ready to testify in other Cashgate cases if the State expressed interest to have him as witness.

Lutepo has become the seventh person to be thrown in jail on Cashgate-related charges since trials began in February 2014 and his sentence is so far the most severe, 11 years.

The shooting of former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo outside the gate of his Area 43 residence in Lilongwe on September 13 2013 opened a can of worms that exposed the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill later called Cashgate.

British forensic audit firm, Baker Tilly, established that between April and September 2013, about K24 billion (US$53.3 million) in public funds was abused through payments for goods and services not rendered; inflated payments and payments without supporting documentation.

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Keen Observer
8 years ago

Ya apa si jealous ayi koma izi ndizokuba ziyenera kubwelera ku Boma but my only worry is that zikabwelera ku Noma sizifikiranso mmanja mwa Mbava zina? Naming’omba, zowona munthu angagule Naming’omba poyerayera zowona zimenezo??????

box13 bilila NU
8 years ago

What goes around. ………,koma sikuti mupezele mwayi umabela munthuyu zomwe anali nazo kale asanabe ,kodi mesa mwamulanga kale 11yrs adzabwera atakalambatu ameneyu ,ndiye chonde tima buisness taketo mulekeleni adzawone pofikira komaso ana adzipeza ufa kwa 11yrs yo.

Manyaziulibe
Manyaziulibe
8 years ago

Malawi will never develop because of theft and corruption in offices. In companies, government people are busy enriching themselves. There are some people who do things beyond their salary pretending as if they are doing bussines and to my surprise no initiative is taken to investigate how this individual is accumulating this wealth. Let’s stop this and sweat genuinely to avoid what our brother Lutepo has gone through, imagine we were envying him now he is stupid person in Malawi. My advice is tighten and seal all the hole where money can slip through. We don’t want to here of… Read more »

Mwendanato
Mwendanato
8 years ago

THE STATE HAS BEEN VERY UNFAIR TO LUTEPO AFTER ALL THE COPERATION. HE SHOULD HAVE BEEN GIVEN FIVEYEARS ONLY IHL AND THREE YEARS SUSPENDED. THE NAMATHANGA LADY SHOULD HER OPULENT HOME AND HOTEL CONFISCATED SO SHOULD ALL THE 22 PP ORANGE VEHICLES AND BE AUCTIONED. MALAWIAN JUDGES WHEN SHALL YOU DESCIPNCE FAIR JUSTICE.

James Phiri
James Phiri
8 years ago

SO Cashgate saw more than $50 million stolen and Lutepo stole $9 million – there are others who need to be held to account for many millions still missing. Also this stealing didn’t start recently. We still remember Muluzi enriched himself and where did Bingu and Peter get so much wealth from? Also you can’t steal from government alone. Someone needs to approve the payment, another signs the cheque,, another person updates the general ledger, another approves the monthly financial report, another cashes the cehqua at the bank, another person in Reserve bank turns a blind eye to huge government… Read more »

PHILLIMON MWAFONGO
PHILLIMON MWAFONGO
8 years ago

let those who are involved be exposed.

Mwana wa Kwa Dzomodya
Mwana wa Kwa Dzomodya
8 years ago

Wakubatu ndiamene wagwidwa. Kuba sikungathe kudalipo ngakhale nthawi ya John Chilembwe ndiye tiyeni tizibani tikaupeza mwaiwo. Koma ukagwidwa akukudzule ndithu. Osanyengerelana apa. Kaya ndiwe wandale, kaya ndiwe m’busa akukhadzule mpaka utheletu. Enanu mmaofesimu tima salary tanu tomvetsa chisoni. Koma mukutha kumagula magalimoto odula. Ana akuphunzira ma school odula. Nyumba mukumanga ngati ndi state house. Chikhalirecho palibe business iliyonse imene mumapanga. Uliminso simutha. Kuba basi. Kumaoneka ngati madolo. Akufufuzeni mukagwidwa akuponyeni mndende, makiyi akataidwe ku Indian ocean. Sizoona kuti a court ayambe mkulimbana ndi za 2005 zadzulodzuloli zisanathe. Tiambe agwidwawa mkumabwerera mbuyo kusakasaka enanso amene amaba mbuyomu. Kodi munthu nyumba yako… Read more »

Sayimoni bayisikolo
Sayimoni bayisikolo
8 years ago

Muluzi is left scot free to enjoy the loot of 1.7 billion.Pitala is feasting the loot 61 billion kwacha which inherited from his brother.Joyce was enjoying the loot from the conduit and its the only small fish that is feeling the pinch.Is this really justice?They were politicians involved in this cashgate and so far no one has been netted.We need to clean the whole system and Malawi will start kicking again.What you should know is that these cheap politicians do not own us.If Malawi is to change,then it should stop glorifying thieves.People should earn and work their asses 24/7 to… Read more »

Amon
Amon
8 years ago

Where is chambo ? You are just catching usipa

osaka
8 years ago

which naming’omba are u talkingabout, if it is the tea estate in thyolo he already sold it to certain Indians at a tune of 6billion, lutupo sold all his successful companies ndalama zake kukasungisa kwa a zibale ake, you can do your investigations if am lying, lero akut akhala ambassador wa chani? koma utaika a malawi pa moto may God forgive you!

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