Esnart Ndovi pleads guilty to cashgate: 14 to take plea on 2011 cashgate case

Suspect Esnart Nenani Ndovi has pleaded guilty to charges of money laundering K12.9m from the government in August 2013 and is convicted by Lilongwe Magistrate Court on her own plea.

She took plea of ‘guilty’ before senior resident magistrate Patrick Chirwa.

Nenani Ndovi accepted wrong-doing  for  “lending certificate for personation”  to Oddei Kamanga, a public officer with the intention that Kamange should present himself as legal owner of Fusion Limited “for purposes of obtaining payment from government.”

Ndovi becomes the fifth suspect to plead guilty in the cashgate trials after Osward Lutepo, Tressa Senzani, Leonard Kalonga and James Bandula Chirwa.

She will undergo sentencing hearing before the court determines the punishment.

Money laundering attracts a maximum 10 year jail term.

State Prosecutor Imran Saidi said Ndovi had already committed to pay back the money and surrender her K15 million valued Toyota Hilux registration number KA 6688.

Meanwhile, High Court in Lilongwe will on Wednesday November 4 resume hearing a case in which 14 people, among them government accountants and a private sector individual, are accused of allegedly conspiring to steal K201 million from government in 2011.

Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) deputy director general Reyneck Matemba confirmed that the case resumes on November 4 for all the accused persons to take plea.

When the court reconvened last month, High Court Judge Charles Mkandawire adjourned the case following preliminary objections from defence lawyers that the State, represented by Matemba, did not give them sufficient time to study the evidence before their clients could take plea.

There are 14 accused persons in the case who the ACB wants to prove were involved in the theft and money laundering of K201 million from the then Ministry of Disability Affairs through the Accountant General’s office.

Cornelius Kaphantengo, who was director of Nova Technology and General Dealers, has been charged with conspiracy to commit a felony, theft and money laundering while his wife, Yvonne, is co-accused on the same counts.

According to the charge sheet, the 14 allegedly shared among themselves K201 million between November 2010 and June 2011 and they are jointly charged with conspiracy to commit a felony and money laundering.

Other co-accused persons are Chikondi Chimutu, whose charge of theft involves K18.3 million of the K201 million, Emmanuel Yesaya whose charge of theft involves K27.4 million, Deusdedit Tenthani who allegedly got a share of K16.2 million, Tendai Nayeja (K27.1 million), Audney Kamitengeni (K9.9 million), Conrad Nambala (K38.4 million), Justina Nyirenda charged with abuse of public office as she was an accounts assistant in the Accountant General’s office and Squire Chakwana charged with theft of K10.7 million.

Others are Jimmy Mbuliro whose theft charge is K3 million, Wides Machika Mbuliro (K0.5 million), Tapiwa Ng’oma (K9.1 million) and Khumbo Banda (K2.7 million).

During an earlier hearing, the court learnt that subsequent revelations of the plunder of public resources in 2013 dubbed Cashgate was an upgrade of the theft of public money by the suspects from 2011.

In 2013, the shooting of former Ministry of Finance budget director Paul Mphwiyo led to revelations of the plunder of public resources at Capital Hill.

Former president Joyce Banda ordered an audit which British forensic auditor, Baker Tilly, undertook between April and September 2013 which established that about K24 billion was siphoned from public coffers through dubious payments, inflated invoices and goods or services never rendered.

In May this year, a financial analysis report by audit and business advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) also established that about K577 billion in public funds could not be reconciliated between 2009 and December 31 2014.

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