The Women Lawyers Association (WLA) has secured K48.8 million compensation for four women who were sexually assaulted by former Malawi Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) boss Aubrey Sumbuleta.
WLA held negotiations with MBC which have seen the two parties reaching an out of court settlement.
Chikondi Chijozi of WLA has told the local media that the compensation is for pain and financial loss the women suffered.
Two of the women who left MBC due to the sexual assault are now back at the state broadcaster with effect from July 1, 2021.
Lawyers who represented the MBC women include Bernadette Malunga, Ngcime Mweso, Chisomo Kaufulu, Gloria Mbendera and Chijozi, and Hilda Soko. Chijozi told Nation Online that the K48 857 246 which MBC will pay covers the women’s pain and suffering as well as financial loss.
An inquiry by the Malawi Human Rights Commission (MHRC) revelaed that Sumbuleta sexually abused female employees from the MBC in 2010 when Sumbuleta was Deputy Director of Information and between 2015 and 2020 when he was Director General of the MBC.
Sumbuleta was arrested in April and he was charged with indecent assault before being released on bail.
