 Seguro Ndabene of Airdrie, just north of Calgary, in this Oct. 30, 2009 photo, has already won the lottery four times in the past five years. But his biggest win of all — $17 million in a Super 7 draw back in January — is being disputed. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Bill Graveland
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CALGARY — All that stands between one of the luckiest men in Canada and $17 million is some paperwork.
But Airdrie’s Seguro Ndabene is still miffed it’s taken so long to get his winnings from the Western Canada Lottery Corp.
And Ndabene vowed today to take the WCLC to court for the mental anguish it caused him after he claimed his prize in February, by far the biggest of five jackpots he’s won in five years.
“I won rightfully,” Ndabene said outside court, moments after a Court of Queen’s Bench judge said he would get his winnings once he drafted up a proper court order.
“I played the ticket, they advertised the money, I paid for the ticket, I won the money and they refused to pay me right away, they have to pay for that,” he said.
“I’m asking for (damages for) the torture, mental torture ... for all these delays for no reason.”
Ndabene claimed his prize in February, when his numbers matched those in the Jan. 16, Super 7 draw.
But when a member of a “group buy agreement” said the ticket should be shared, WCLC turned the dispute over to the court.
Tony Koprnicky later abandoned his claim on the prize, but because other members of the group buy agreement were also notified, they too had to determine whether they wanted to make a claim.
Since none showed up in court after being given a chance to cross-examine Ndabene on his ticket last Friday, Master John Prowse said the money was his.
“The order will be signed,” Prowse said.
Since October, 2004, when he won a little over $1 million, Ndabene has been on an unbelievable lottery winning streak.
In subsequent draws he won $100,000, $57,000, and $1.3 million, before his latest jackpot, he said.
“They shouldn’t torture a person like me just ‘cause I won several times,” Ndabene said.
kevin.martin@sunmedia.ca
