Lawyer Ghambi fingered in Karonga District council K4mil ‘loot’: Chief Kyungu wary over abuse of resources
Paramount Chief Kyungu of Karonga the northern border part of Malawi on Friday expressed worry with the increased rampant abuse of resources at the district council.
The development follows the alleged report that some council officials nearly looted K4 million in which lawyer Christon Ghambi of CHRAM Associates is being accused of playing a role in defrauding the council and the arrest of the District Commissioner’s secretary after the forged cheque early this year.
MacLean Sikumbawa, who is one of the Karonga district business tycoon, hired Ghambi to get court injunction restricting the Karonga taxi operators and the council from using his private place as a packing area in June last year.
After the council and taxi operators complied, the case was closed and the deal between Ghambi and Sikumbawa ended.
Surprisingly, Ghambi dragged Karonga district to the Mzuzu high court demanding the council to pay K7 million as compassion for making businesses at Sikumbawa’s premise without knowledge of his client.
However, the amount was reduced up to K4, 047, 750. 00 after the council pleaded in November, 2016.
On Friday 6, 2017, the sheriff from the Mzuzu high court impounded two vehicles of the Karonga district council for failing to pay K4, 047, 750.00 to Sikumbawa through his lawyer Ghambi.
After some hours, the council paid the cheque of K4, 047, 750.00 number 006554 on Friday and get back their vehicles.
Sikumbawa hired another lawyer Victor Gondwe of John Tennyson and Associates to block the said cheque at the Mzuzu high court.
“I did not ask for any compensation from the council. I don’t need its money. Ghambi did this on his own,” said Sikumbawa in an interview.
Ghambi said there is no fraud in the matter, saying it has been settled by parties in due process of the law.
Speaking during the meeting at his resident after approached by the district business tycoon Leonard Kiyombo on the matter, Kyungu appealed to his subjects to stand up and protests against fraud of district council finances.
“I am your leader but on my own I cannot deal with this issue. We need to hold our hands together for better Karonga,” said Kyungu.
He then appealed for unity among the residents in order to develop the district.
Kiyombo said the business community is not happy with the looting of K4 million from the council through the sheriff action.
“I will not just leave this case until I know the truth of the matter because the stolen money is our tax,” vowed Kiyombo.
Karonga Youths Justice and Development (KYJD) executive director Steven Simsokwe said his organization has put in place strong measures to deal with corruption at the district council.
Last year, about seven officers at the council were arrested by the police after swindling millions of kwacha of council fund.
The Ministry of Local Government also suspended the director of public works and district lands officer over allegations of fraudulent abuse of Masaf IV funds.
District councils are audited once in every two years which the committee has said is not regular enough to ensure accountability and reduce incidents of fraud and corruption.
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These so called lawyers are milking government money by conniving with Sherri’s. attorney general needs to launch an investigation into these dubious actions involving lawyers and Sherri’s. They deliberately target public institutions . This is very common in the north. Karonga district council has suffered a lot on the fake default judgements by the courts.
kyungu this time around you are asking people to join hands with you but when eating money from politicians you forget that you will need the same people. remember mwanafyale ;when naming chitipa karonga road we the people said karonga chitipa you remember the name you gave with your fellow politicians, mwisyughu po ghwatumanya
Mr.ghambi did execute his duties according to law but his client sikumbaba is not up to date . he kept on pushing ghambi for the case but he did forget that he has a contract with govt. Upon realising that he is shooting his own foot . he asked the lawyer to rescind the decision when the court had passed the judgement.education really helps. He is really a dull creature.
Mr. Ng’ambi becareful when you work with Karonga boys .Most are primary school leavers and they do not know but they feel they know . Teach them that you are a lawyer with good reputation and you were doing your work.Sikumbawaw just wants to clean his name .He is total ignorant of everything apart from smuggling .
If he really did it on his own without the knowledge of his client that’s stealing. Can’t the law society discipline the lawyer.