DPP’s Wa Jeffrey increase compensation claim from Malawi govt to K70bn: Bill on taxpayers

Outspoken Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) secretary general (SG) Grezeider Jeffrey wa Jeffrey has raised her compensation claim from government from K12 billion to K70 billion which taxpayers are set to pay,  Anti Corurption Bureau (ACB) has confirmed.

Jeffrey: Claimings compesation up to K70 billion from taxpayers

Wa Jeffrey  lodged the claim following her acquittal in the K187 million Ministry of Education scam during the Bakili Muluzi administration.

She  initially sued government for about K12 billion (about $26.7 million),as compensation for false imprisonment, defamation, breach of contract and malicious prosecution for allegedly defrauding millions from the Ministry of Education in a scam exposed in the early 2000s.

ACB director Reyneck Matemba said the K12 billion was  Jeffrey’s actual value after assessment  but said the court will have to make its assessment.

“The court would have to do its own assessment , If you win a case and  the registrar will have to assess,” Matemba told a news conference in Blantyre on Thursday.

He said K58 billion is for claims related ti loss of business, defamation false imprisonment and malicious prosecution among other claims.

“So we are talking in excess of about K70 billion that she is claiming from government,” said Matemba.

The case is scheduled at High Court in Lilongwe on January 30 2018.

Documents filed at the High Court indicate that Wa Jeffrey, Brian Phiri and two deceased civil servants who worked under the Ministry of Education took government to court following the actions and decisions of the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and the National Audit Office (NAO).

The complainants accuse the Auditor General’s office of defaming Jeffrey in its audit report of March 2000 by alleging that her business connived with a divisional education office in Kasungu to defraud government.

The statement of claim states that Jeffrey lost an estimated K14 275 971.12 following government’s order to stop payment of a cheque and balance for completed work at Msalura Community Day Secondary School.

During the 11-year trial, Jeffrey and her fellow co-accused answered charges of corrupt practices with a public officer, obtaining money by false pretence, theft, uttering false documents, corrupt use of official powers, forgery and making a false warrant for money.

Wa Jeffrey’s lawyer, Ralph Mhone, who is also Nkhata Bay Central member of Parliament (MP)  for People’s Party (PP)  confirmed the matter is coming up in court on January 30.

On her part, Wa Jeffrey, who is also Nkhotakota South legislator (DPP),  said she is entitled to compensation.

About 55 people were implicated in the scam, but only four—including former principal secretary for Ministry of Education Sam Safuli—were convicted and jailed, although two of the convictions were later set aside by the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal.

The rest of the suspects, including civil servants and several contractors, had their cases dropped or were acquitted due to lack of sufficient evidence.

The K187 million Ministry of Education scandal was exposed through an audit which revealed a breakdown in financial controls and internal check systems in the ministry.

Safuli was sentenced to two years imprisonment for aiding and abetting theft of K100 000. He was convicted together with managing director of Tapempha Building Contractors, Esther Kathumba, who got four and two years imprisonment for theft of K596 802 and attempted theft of K1 999 920, respectively, from the ministry.

Esther’s husband, Henry Kathumba, who was managing Khristu Nafe Building Contractors, was given a two-year jail term for theft of K100 000 which he collected from the ministry.

Snowden Joya, a quantity surveyor in the ministry, was sentenced to three years imprisonment for forging six certificates for completion of work for projects that were never finished.

But eight months after the convictions, the Supreme Court of Appeal set aside Safuli and Jiya’s convictions and quashed their sentences.

The court also quashed theft charges against the Kathumbas and substituted them with theft by false pretence.

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mafumu
mafumu
6 years ago

anthunu tiyeni tizinena zoona jefu family was rich even before she joined politics and the family lost all they had because of the case and consfication of the properties .she needs to be compersated but k70 billion is just to much. give her a reasonable amount

Ama
Ama
6 years ago

Inu Ndiye muli ku shithole ndithu. Kkkkkkkk. Self made shithole

Shithole Africa
6 years ago

This is woman is blackmailer. She wants DPP Government to automatically give her the post of SG. She knows she will lose when she contests for it at the forthcoming convention. She is likely to use part of the money to donate to DPP for the campaign as well as for her own campaign in KK. Umbanda wa msana.

Zude
Zude
6 years ago

Hahahaha if this is given to her I swear I will stop paying tax to government, this is stupid and pure theft.MK70 billion,my foot.Even if you convert the MK14 million that she lost then to the present value it cannot reach that much.Kubwela anthu ovutika.Prince of thieves and your lieutenants you have milked a lot from poor Malawians,plz khalani ndi umunthu.Ndipemphero langa kwa Mulungu wakumwamba kuti atiombole musinga tilizi .God rescue us from abatwa amenewa.

Toka
Toka
6 years ago

A Matemba mukuikira kumbuyo ndithu zimenezi? We know it’s a DPP plan kuti zinazo zipite ku campaign. From 12 to 70? 58 yonseyo yachani? Try to be reasonable. Kungomva kuti chaka chamawa mukuchoka m’boma ndie mukufuna muberetu? 58 billion yonseyo ndi mankhwala ochuluka bwanji mungagule mzipatala from Nsanje to Chitipa? Nanga ndi ma ambulance angati mungokonzetse dziko lonse? Tionana mwezi wa May chaka cha mawa.

Mbwiye wapata
Mbwiye wapata
6 years ago

DPP at work…mobilizing resources for the incoming campaign…..we are not stupid ,we can clearly see what is at play here…..akutuma, CASHGATE changing shape and gear.

Nganya
Nganya
6 years ago

Systematic way of siphoning our taxes. The inflation carters for clearing the way for the whole process to be successful. Too many beneficiaries. Thank you.

John
John
6 years ago

Wachuluka apa ndi uchitsiru wokha wokha zankutu za ziii

haward.maloni@yahoo.com
6 years ago

Chifukwa chakuti udalowa Dpp akuvomerezani pangani a SG mutengeko ndalama izi zamasiye. Choncho ndiye mungakane kuti chipani chanu cha Dpp is a bunch of crooks, thieves? Izi zochita kukonza ndipo titati tiyeni tikayendere ntchito zomwe mudagwira mupezeka ndi mlandu wawukulu kuti mudadya zambiri zosagwirizana ndi ntchito ndiye mukufuna akupatseni zina kupitiriza kuba. Boma la Dpp ndiribe nalo mawu ndipo nkhani imeneyi tidikire 2019 zidzathe kaye zisankho tiomwone ngati udzalandire

Markov
Markov
6 years ago

eeiisshhh….she has the right to be compesated (if proved so), as every one would have been. But these are some of the signs of putting incompetent people to run our national affairs-poor decion making. Despite this happened several years ago, we will pay for their ”sins” NOW!

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