Lutepo sentencing postponed: Malawi cashgate convict could face 10 years jail term
The High Court in Zomba has postponed the sentencing of convicted businessman and chief cashgate defendant Oswald Lutepo until Monday August 3.
Lutepo, who was convicted on his own plea of guilty on charges of conspiracy to defraud government and money laundering of K4.2 billion ($9.3 million) between April and September 2013, was due for sentencing on Thursday and appeared in court on wheel chair only to have State applying for postponement on confiscation and pecuniary orders and sentence hearing.
Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Mary Kachali argued that it could not go ahead with the order because, among others, there were wide discrepancies on the value of assets which Lutepo declared.
She submitted to court that Lutepo’s Woget Industries was valued at K1 427 000 000.00 but the defence while the State put it at K292 585 250.00.
Lutepo’s lawyer Oswald Mtupila asked the court not to proceed with the sentence arguing that confiscation order has a bearing on the sentencing.
The 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.
Money laundering attracts a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment and K2 million ($4 444) fine while conspiracy to defraud government attracts an imprisonment sentence of three years, according to Section 323 of the Penal Code.
Lutepo is the seventh person to be convicted on Cashgate related charges since trials began in February 2014, but the highest sentence imposed for money laundering has so far been seven years the Lilongwe Magistrate’s Court imposed on civil servant Victor Sithole.
Presiding Judge Redson Kapindu then adjourned the case to August 3 2015 to make a ruling on the submissions which will then determine whether to postpone the confiscation order or not and sentencing.
Lutepo has led a flamboyant lifestyle on the back of the despicable cashgate crimes which have caused so much misery up and down the country.
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Yemwe ikumunkhuza nkhani ya Cashgate amangidwe basis. Ife chomwe tikufuna ndi chulungamo chioneke. Nanga vice President mumutani pakuti nayeso zukhala ngt anali limodz. ???????
Vimangeni vikagwire jere malipilo vinadya kale ivo
a police ndye onyamula mkulu ameneyu
Nanga jb mungomusiyasiya mwangomanga mtumbuka yekha basi. 0k aziwa ndiambuye
oky! tamalawi tamva chigamulo
lutepo oswald has done alot of injuries to the economy of the country and social well being of an average or poor malawian.he deserves stiffer punishment
The Punshment Is Very Small Than Scandal
Ten years for stealing billions koma wokuba Nkhuku zaka five. This world is very cruel and unjust.
Apolice asakhale akapolo anu omanyamula wheel chair yako ngat ndiwedi olumala.
Lutepoyu ndeee wangolasatu, Mtupila yi lawyer wakeyu. Naye uyuuu akaona ndalama za anthu okufa, amagona ndi akazi osiyidwawo. Mkutapa nso. Ndeee Ma Cash Gate critical. Mutu wako Oswald
Deserves fair sentence,reporters do pre-empt judgement.
The vendors are suffering because they were used as conduits.it is the government machinery which is corrupt.The government lacks integrity.I need to repeat this :we have high education or attain professorship but if we lack integrity we will never add any value to our nation.I cry for my country.If there are people who hate their country it is Malawians.We are very lasy ;we want money from nothing.
Give him VIP treatment like in Uganda.
wakuba ameneyo
amangidwe kwambiri, ndi mbava ameneyo
zilango pansi pompano pepani bambo.
That is how the devil works. You are now suffering Mr Lutepo while your friend Joyce Banda is enjoying with the same oversees. Becareful with the devil as you know the devil can only Steal destroy and kill. I sure Mr Lutepo you are experiencing one of the three. Just repent before it is too late my friend.
Very bad for wheelchaired man.bt stil lyf goes on.
iyu kuno ku nkhamenya adali kamuzu wawo akafika ndila zake zakubazo . ndithudi ta[perekani chiweruzo cha bwino kuti akhaule basi katundu landani ngopusa kwambiri pamodzi ndi mayi wake kkkkkk kamwana ka chinkhanira aka
What Lutepo is doing is exactly what the former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was doing and that is pretending to be ill. Mubarak was 84 that time but this boy is an actor to the full.
Eish komaaaaaaaa!
Can someone rewrite these figures in words for me. Is it over K1 trillion for she and over 292 billion for the state or what.remember syllabus of primary schools in 1990s involved arithmetic in thousands. Unfortunately we dont have arithmetic in secondary school, and you know how stupid algebra is, dealing with algebraic expressions with figures less than 100.
Ameneyu alandidwe zonse audziwe umphawi nayenso. Ameneyu ndi mmodzi wa anthu amene anapangitsa kuti ife tizivutika ndi misonkho yokwera kwambiri. Koma kodi mwafufuza zenizeni za chuma chake? Alinso ndi company under Woget yopanga mowa wa maspirits (masachet) pa kasungu town. Plz dig deeper.
Lutepo Nde Wati Ukufuna A Standard Bank A Printe Ma Chek Kuti Uone Amene Amakasha? Chonde Lutepo Usafike Kumeneko Ubvumbulutsa Anthu Osalakwa.
Even if Lutepo loses his property We will not see any change in our poverty levels. Mind you Malawi’s poverty is not due to fraud but rather failure to produce enough for export. India and Pakistan have real corruption on a massive scale but they export a lot. Before we steal let us first make money then tiziba. By the way in 2010 according to Tanner the British govt was conned of more than 3 billion pounds sterling (more than two trillion kwacha) by public servants
apolisi let him die why carrying him
Eeeeeeeeeeee ife anthu,osauka timangovanao basi mwaberana mwamanana mwamangana kkkkkkkkkkkkk
And what is the government going to do with Mutharika’s assets; is no one going to question about his properties?
How does the value of the estate have to do with the sentencing ? I thought the sentencing is for the crime committed ? And either which way his estate doesn’t cover what he stole ..
such cases must not be delayed.he was not on wheel chair the time he cashgated.even at the prison there are also sick people.take all what doesnt belong to him.PUNISH THEM SO THAT APM AND HIS FRIENDS MUST BE WARNED.
Digressing a bit, what the two policemen are doing by lifting Lutepo’s wheel chair is a risk hazard. If they dropped him and broke his back, that will be the end of the case. He will on turn sue the state for injuries and as usual Malawians will boldly come up and say DPP was trying to murder him. It is high time the government reconsidered the disabled people when it comes to utilisation of public amenities in order to avoid further court cases. These are the problems our clever CSO’s should have been taking the authorities to task other than everytime discussing trash.
Tangochimangani chimenecho.Chitsiru cha munthu. Muchilande katundu yonse. Mbuzi iyi.
PLS DO NOT EVEN CALL THESE GUYZ”BUSINESMEN” THEY DO NOT QUALIFY RATHER CALL THIS GUY APPTLY”THIEF”BY THE WAY IS THE WHEEL CHAIR NOW his throne,king loots kkkk lol?REPENT
Nanga ena aja ziatherano bwanji? Tingoti phee tione.
uyuyu kome tsiku lina mudzamugwetse ponuamulapo because ndi amene anasokoneza zinthu
If the value of assets to be confiscated is less than what he declared then give him more years in jail (life-akafere konko). He is not being repentant, he is crooked to the bone!!! What is the point of stealing as a young man ending up on a wheel chair and life in prison? Think twice before embarking on such episodes !!!!!!
Kodi kubako oyamba ndi Lutepo?? Kodi Lutepo anali m’boma?? Why cant u find out hw and whr Lutepo got the money from?? Cashgate mainly revolves around top officials in the gov, ndiye inu mumvekere ndalama abweze, kodi mukuwona ngati zilowa mmatumba mwanu?? Zimenezo zikhala za Pitala awonjezere pa K550 billion yomwe anaba ija….Amalawi nsanje
what suprises me is the fact that i dont still understand how and why the whole government could pay huge sums of money to these vendors when the goods and services were not delivered and rendered?? much as we say these people deflauded the government we should also blame the government for not being vigilant in making sure that suppliers are paid for what they have provided as a service or items. yes we will deal with these guys now but the issues still remains that with the recycled politicians and govt officials are we really dealing with the route cause of the problem or what?
Malawi is like a country full of thieves starting from us so called high profile people thus why will never develop. We have no ambition of developing this country we enjoy seeing people living in poverty our so called cities full of garbage everywhere that makes us proud to be a malawian. Nthawi zina unkudabwa kodi dzikoli liri ndi president amene akuyendera mmene chitukuku chikuyendera kapena amangowerenga ndalama zomwe apanga pa tsiku ku office kwawo? Ngati boma atenge chuma cha Lutepo definitely akagawanatso ena
Malawi is like a country full of thieves starting from us so called high profile people thus why will never develop. We have no ambition of developing this country we enjoy seeing people living in poverty our so called cities full of garbage everywhere that makes us proud to be a malawian. Nthawi zina unkudabwa kodi dzikoli liri ndi president amene akuyendera mmene chitukuku chikuyendera kapena amangowerenga ndalama zomwe apanga pa tsiku ku office kwawo?
Miyendo Yaola Kunja Komwekuno Awa Kwao Kwatha Basi….Sazaupezanso Mtendere!!!
Kasambara Get Ready Iwenso Ulowa Munthu Oipa Mtima Ukafera Komweko.
As long as govt confiscates every penny of our money i don’t care whether he stays in prison for a month,but please make sure to make him as poorer as possible.
Sono ndi upumdukanso kapena move?
Outside the case. I see our public buildings are not disability friendly. These are public buildings and must be easily accessed by any individual in need of using them.
No change in my life even if his property is confiscated. It will just be mis-used even more
Akagebe amenewo basi ,ndikuona ngati pa 3 pakutalikaso.
cashgate defines,the injection of funds into private sector by govt ,so if lutepos assets confiscated,release him,kasambala will win anawa mungowavuta atulutseni mndende,ena ali abroad
Amulande ndi akadzi ake omwe bakha ameneyi. Tidzibwezi tako tonsetija sitakuthawa pano? Umasamira satan nayenso wakuthawa? Mfana lutepo u had alot of wealth which could be difficult kuti ukauone ufumu wa kumwamba. Pano ayi samira kwa yesu monga tonse amphawi tichitira kumeneko kuli moyo osatha ndipo kuli chuma chomwe udzakhala nacho muyaya. Pliz repent imfa yako yayandika.
Kodi why is it taking long to sentence these thieves? Are they reserved to the laws of malawi or what? Alandidwe zonse and they shud start afresh. Our country is poor, we are suffering and cant afford 3 meals per day, so bwanjki osawalanda zomwe anabazo kuti ndalamazo zipite ku boma?
Senzani mansion should also be confiscated, ailowe mu account ya boma and all will be well.