Former Ministry of Tourism employee Odoi Kamange has been convicted of theft and two counts of money laundering, about nine years after he defrauded the Malawi Government of K12 million.
The Senior Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe on 2nd September 2022 convicted Kamange.
According to a statement which has been signed by Egrita Ndala, ACB’s Principal Public Relations Officer, Kamange who was working with the Department of Tourism in 2013 borrowed a Business Registration Certificate from Esnarth Ndovi to use it for tender submission at the Department of Tourism.
The Department of Tourism paid a total amount of K12, 950,000 through a cheque which was in the name of the Business Registration Certificate of Esnarth Ndovi in disregard that she had not rendered any service nor had supplied any goods to the government.
Later on, Kamange asked Esnarth Ndovi to cash the cheque and give him K12,000,000 which she complied.
After conducting investigations into this deal, ACB then arrested Esnarth Ndovi in 2014. Ndovi pleaded guilty to charges of theft and money laundering contrary to section 36(1c) of the Money laundering Act. She was then convicted and sentenced to 3 and half years while Kamange had fled the country.
Kamange was later arrested in 2019 when he returned to Malawi and was charged with the offences of Theft by Conversion and two counts of Money Laundering.
Meanwhile, sentencing of Kamange has been scheduled for 15th September 2022.
