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Zambian Woman Jailed In UK For Fraud
an OA bookkeeper at a leading real estate firm who plundered £2 million from her bosses to launch her own property empire in Zambia and send her children to private school has been jailed for four years.
Mirriam Clark, 47, spent the money on first class flights to Africa, funded her children’s education, bought properties in her native Zambia and used stolen funds to maintain five homes she owned across England and Wales, Southwark Crown Court heard.
Clark was working for Dowley Turner Real Estate from their luxury offices on London’s Bond Street at the time of the thefts.
Prosecutor Charles Pentangeli said only £295,000 has been recovered by Clark’s former bosses so far.
“This fraud was carried out over a three-and-a-half year period while the defendant was the bookkeeper for the property and real estate consultancy firm Dowley Turner Real Estate, based in London.
“The partners at the business had both known the defendant for 15 years, she having previously worked for the previous incarnation of the firm between 1995 and 2006.
“Not only did she work as a bookkeeper and a personal assistant to Mr Dowley and Mr Turner but she was their friend.
“She played a key role with the business’s bank account and tax affairs.”
Clark siphon £1,977,327 from the company over a three-and-a-half-year period, the court heard.
She confessed to the thefts, which began in late 2009, just days after she was sacked for work related reasons in March last year.
Clark said she stole the cash to pay off credit card debt and claimed she been struggling financially since her divorce.
But it emerged she had spent £50,000 of her employers’ money on 14 return flights to Zambia and paid a £25,000 gift to an ex-employee of the firm.
Even after all Clark’s properties are sold, Dowley Turner may be short of £700,000 as a result of her fraud.
Jailing Clark for four years, Judge Alistair McCreath said: “While this fraud was going on you were buying other properties in Zambia from the proceeds of your crime.
“You were taking flights which the partners paid for personally – 14 of them – the maths suggest you weren’t going economy.
“These thefts were over a substantial period of time, in excess of three years, and you were in a position of trust.
“You have caused your former employers, your former friends, a significant loss indeed.”
Clark, of Ealing, west London, admitted fraud by abuse of position.
Detective Constable Malcolm Duncan, of Westminster Major Crime Unit, said: “Miriam Clark was put in a position of trust by colleagues who she had worked with for a number of years.
“However, she chose to abuse that trust and defrauded her employers out of a significant amount of money with no consideration of those that had employed and trusted her.
“It is commendable how they have managed to not only stay afloat but also managed to safeguard their employees’ livelihoods during what has been a difficult and upsetting time.”
One of the directors of DTRE, who did not wish to be named, said: “From the outset this has been an extremely harrowing experience, which has not come close to ending for us, as individuals or a company.
“Mirriam Clark has not disclosed to us, the court, or the police where she has put the money. This has been, and continues to be, the most arduous and stressful time of my and my business partners’ lives.”
Posted by Kunda
on July 9, 2014. Filed under LATEST NEWS.
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gorei
July 9, 2014 at 1:46 pm
ngawamu Zambia ninsi clark teshina lyakwe. twebeniko ishina lyakwe!
nshendi
July 9, 2014 at 2:14 pm
Sad reading
Anderson Chisala
July 9, 2014 at 2:23 pm
Its a lie. They just wanted to get property frm her after working hard for 15yrs.
Europeans hate blacks who u use their skills to dextrious and own property. Its painful and God knpws, u will NEVER BE SUPER RACE FOREVER !!!
Phiri
July 9, 2014 at 4:02 pm
Kwena ba Chisala chachine mwalanda. Afuna chabe umutengela zake
test@e
July 9, 2014 at 5:07 pm
She is not Zambia. Its like calling Hon. Guy scott our veep that is Britton.
malundi gondwe
July 9, 2014 at 5:15 pm
She worked hard for her money. After all these guys have stolen a lot from Africa.
Joe Bidden
July 9, 2014 at 6:17 pm
She might have adopted her name from the Ex-husband stop being shallow. A thief is a thief whether stealing from whites or any other race. Ni ka bwalala fye these are same people ‘abashaina’ ati ba ba abroad just turning Zambia and fellow Zambians abroad.
Cathy
July 9, 2014 at 6:46 pm
Has anyone stolen from you ? It pains , she is a thief , let her pay the price and to all you pathetic thieves who think you will never be caught, stop it or you will be humiliated some day ! Ifilaala fya Munda yanama…
tutu
July 9, 2014 at 11:26 pm
ifibasungu fyalitumpa fifikala ifi,obvious fya inshilemonafye chifita a amba ukusungapo afta hardwork fyaufwa akaso@Joe bidden na Cathy mwaba ifinyo mukanwa
Chumbu mololwa, not that one munshololwa!
July 10, 2014 at 12:57 am
So nika mu Bemba
poutry farmer
July 10, 2014 at 2:37 pm
nishi kali ku peshapo aku bemba(talking from experience)
kaya
July 10, 2014 at 2:36 am
sorry
Amake Mwana
July 10, 2014 at 8:21 am
Amai, mwanimvetsa manyadzi.
James
July 10, 2014 at 8:57 am
Its a pity she was just given 4 years, she should have gone in for 15 years. All you people supporting her have no morals. That’s why your country will never develop, because most of you just want to steal instead of working hard. She abused her friendship and milked the people who had trusted her and gave her a decent job. Unfortunately, it appears very normal and acceptable to steal without shame in Zambia.
John
July 10, 2014 at 10:10 am
What is her maiden name this woman????????
karma
July 10, 2014 at 12:14 pm
HER NAME IS MIRRIAM MALIPILO, NOT AMA CLARK BALEBONFYA SHE AND HER EX DIVORCED OVER TEN YEARS AGO AND YES SHE IS A THIEF SHE AB– USED THE TRUST HER BOSSES PUT IN HER AND U PIPO THINK ITS OK FOR HER TO GET AWAY WITH IT, IT WAS EVIDENT HOW SHE WASTED MONEY COZ SHE NEVER SWEATED FOR IT! HER FAMILY BRAGGED ABOUT HER MONEY KWATI NIBA LESA! NKANSHI SHAKWIBA! LOTS OF US WORK AND SWEAT TO EARN A LIVING AND BENA SHE STOLE AND CAME TO ZAMBIA MUKUSHAINA. ITS NOT EVEN RACISM ITS JUSTICE WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND ITS SAD SHE ONLY GOT FOUR YEARS NGA BALIMUPELA MORE!!!!!! CHRISTABEL MPWAMPU! BA AUNTY BOBE BAKABOLALA!MWALEPONTA SANA BA STYOPET!
Neushafishiba
July 10, 2014 at 6:59 pm
Oke chaumfwika ba Karma
jack chongo
July 10, 2014 at 1:04 pm
I am sure balanda naka accent kabufi, kalya akaletesha insoni, ne chibemba balilabila dala!
chitulika
July 10, 2014 at 2:22 pm
musiyeni chabe ba swine imwe.Mwakulachulafye
tennyson musyani
July 10, 2014 at 2:38 pm
Be strong ba wesu that’s not the end of life
malundi gondwe
July 10, 2014 at 2:52 pm
Some of u are just jealousy as if she stole from u!
Deiz Everyday
July 10, 2014 at 7:09 pm
Not everyone in jail is guilty – take note. A white man can never forgive a black person but if a black person forgives a white man, they glorify him e.g. Mandela. It is her money but she has little strength to defend herself there.
twe wina mwanga
July 10, 2014 at 8:25 pm
Good news she has appealed