Minister on sheriff trail over K13.6m ‘swindle’
Minister of Youth and Sports, Grace ‘Obama’ Chiumia has her image dented after an order of High Court in Mzuzu to the Sheriffs to seize her property for duping a widow Cecilia Mkandawire MK13, 647,237.00.
The court issued an order on June 11, 2014 after the minister who is also ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) MP. defaulted court ruling made on May 5th, 2014 that demanded her to pay back the money.
According to court documents, the matter involves MK13, 647,237.00 outstanding balance of a property sale transaction Chiumia’s organization Chisomo Garry Widows Organization which also operates in Mzuzu and surrounding areas owed to ailing widow Cecilia Mkandawire.
Chiumia was hired as middleman by a United States of America (USA) based charity organization Hope Ministry to handle the transaction in which the organization was buying a house from Mkandawire and her son Mwiza Currie Mkandawire.
The widow and her son were selling the house title Number Katawa CH2/1 situated in Chimaliro in the city of Mzuzu due to “family issues, and the difficulties they were facing at that time.”
Hope Ministry, which also operates in Malawi and runs Mzuzu Crisis Nursery bought the house at a price of MK 40 million but one of the directors Paul Heller advised Mkandawire to finalise the transaction with Chiumia through her organization.
Chiumia through her lawyer Patrick Ngwira paid Mkandawire last August K 26,352,763.00 and had to pay the balance of K13, 647,237.00 30 days after the change of house ownership.
Meanwhile, the Mkandawire’s claim they were informed by Hope Ministry in America through their new lawyer Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda that the ministry had paid Chiumia the money but she could not remit the same to them.
Despite court order for sheriffs to pounce on the minister, the execution is not being carried because of her ministerial powers.
The Minister was not available for immediate comment.
