Asian businessman Chaudhry in ‘landgate’ scam: Accused of ‘palm oiling’ Blantyre City officials to acquire commercial land
As corruption continues to dominate the national narrative in Malawi, controversial businessman of Asian origion, Karamat Chaudhry, is under probe by the Anti Corruption Bureau (ACB) and other law-enforcing agencies for allegedly forging corrupt relationship with some influential Blantyre City Council officials who have used shortcuts to offer him commercial land.
He is constructing service stations to sell fuel and run supermarkets on the pieces of land he has allegedly acquired dubiously.
Chaudhry and Lakhu Mohamed NaeemIqbal were in the news recently that they face 13 counts ranging from forgery of official documents, making a false document without authority, uttering a false document to illegally obtaining foreign currency.
“Indeed, he has ‘improper influence’ on some officials (names withheld) at the Civic Offices and, therefore, gets any piece of land he wants at will.
“He has so far bought various pieces of land in Blantyre on which he is doing various business, including filling stations,” said the source close to the investigation, disclosing that some ‘inappropriately’ pieces of land include one in Limbe, along the Robert Mugabe Highway, on which he has constructed a service station, along Masauko Chipembere Highway near Mandala Flats and in Nyambadwe, near Blantyre Girls Primary School where construction works are under way.
In another ‘corruption’ matter, Azamtulla Chaudry, another Blantyre-based businessman, is also under probe by ACB for allegedly bribing some immigration officials to illegally acquire Malawi citizenship, alongside some of his family members.
Azamtulla acquired his Malawian citizenship, two years after he arrived to do business in Malawi from his native Pakistan.
According to highly-placed sources at ACB, Chaudry bribed some immigration and Home Affairs officials to acquire his present status in 2014 when Uladi Mussa was Home Affairs minister and Internal Security.
The Malawi Citizenship Act 1966, as amended in 1992, provides that any Commonwealth citizen can only be ‘registered’ as citizens if he “is ordinarily resident in Malawi, and has been so resident for a period of five years; and that he has an adequate knowledge of a prescribed vernacular language or of the English language”.
“Choudry had stayed in Malawi for hardly two years when he and his immediate family members acquired Malawi citizenship. Actually, the rules demand that to qualify for citizenship, one has to have established business and at least real estate in Malawi but Choudry was a mere trader, buying and selling.
“If this is not corruption, then I don’t what else it is,” said the source at the centre of the investigation.
Uladi Mussa was arrested recently over allegations he granted citizenship to illegal immigrants from Burundi, Rwanda and other war countries when he served as Minister of Home Affairs Security between 2012 and 2014. He allegedly received millions of Kwacha in exchange of his ‘favours’.
The charges against Mussa were dropped when he announced he had switched political allegiance from People’s Party (PP) to the governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). He was elected DPP vice president for central region at a recent DPP convention in Blantyre.
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Where do you think all these fleet of UTM vehicles,Tshirts, caps come from. It’s the same asians who are sponsoring UTM and if at all UTM get into government, it will be these asians getting a big chunk of government business contracts and a few cronies of Chilima. Some of us know Chilima pretty well. Though I hate what DPP is doing, I don’t think SKC will change things as far as fovouring asians.
Go to East Africa and see how indegenous people are empowered. Amwene sanunkha Kathu.
Very true that these Asians do not smell anything in East Africa. I wish government should put a stop to these Pakistanis flocking into Malawi. The authorities should direct them to Iran, Saudi Arabia or Lebanon and not Malawi. They are very cruel to local Malawians who do not follow their faith. It is time local governments start giving opportunities to indigenous Malawians to run businesses of operating filing stations. Black empowerment!
Quite right Francis; this is my fear that UTM may look innocent on the outside while what’s inside is a pack of thieves. May be you will agree we should try something else. UDF, DPP, PP and, again, DPP have all plundered Malawi since we ushered in multiparty democracy. Maybe MCP would be different. We are in such a sorry state that any experiment in government, apart for UTM for reasons advanced above, would do.
Even UTM is being bankrolled by the same Asians. How will you expect Chilima to sweep them???. The party has been captured before getting into power. Operation chotsa mbava is aimed at black Malawians not Asians. Mark my words. Even those convicted for cashgate a black Malawians not Indians. MALAWI IS FOR SALE. THE NEXT TIME WE WILL TOLD TO RELOCATE TO TANZANIA BECUASE SOME ONE BOUGHT THE WHOLE COIUNTRY. I MISS KAMUZU
Indians are very corrupt. Zuma fell from power because of his corrupt relationship with the Gupta family. The same thing is happening to our country Malawi. These are our own Guptas. They are taking over our country slowly but sure. Tsekula maso Malawi. Dziko lathu likupita pan’gono pang’ono. Mawa ana athu adzasowa malo okhala chifukwa chopereka nthaka yathu kwa anthu obwerawa.
Mupite kumaiko aku west Nigeria, Cameroon a foreigner samupasa chiphaso cha uzika even if you stay 100years . Ukabereka ana amakulipilisa musonkho about K20000.00 MK per year per child olo utakwatila mukazi waku Cameroon they say u and your children are treated as foreigners for rest of your life. Ku New Zealand posachedwa pa ayika lamulo oti mulendo sungagule Nyumba or Malo so what is wrong with us Malawians ana athu akhala or kulima kuti.
a got befriend the man…………….
Atsamunda akutenga Woyee Woyeeeee! Akutenga dziko lathu, Woyee Woyeeeee!
Oh sorry,
sorry atsamunda,
balala balala,
mabvuto m’mbuyomo …
But do not to run away.
Hastings Banda became my deadly foe when he sold the continental liberation struggle to his Western Masters and the way he treated Malawians moreless than his slaves.But on the other hand,I supported him on his stand against,Chinese,Indians and Arabs.These three types of people tend to look at Africans as inferior and naturally unintelligent.In South Africa,Indians have penetrated in the domains of African top leaders including former President sex-maniac Jacob Zuma who sold his country to the Gupta family,the richest Indian family in South Africa. at the cost of SAR21million that he spent on building decent homes for his concubines while in Soweto,Africans are still living in dilapidated houses.In Malawi,Indians and Pakistanis,have literally enslaved political leaders to the extent that these destroyers of our economies,eligally transfer billions of Kwacha through the same so-called leaders.Recently,an Indian shot and killed an innocent Malawian in Nkhata-Bay on land dispute.Whose land? An African land.SHAME!!!! Another despicable rogues are Chinese who have enslaved the so-called leaders and in turn,they steal billions of dollars and leave behind their garbages to destroy our economies.Right now,Africa has become the ROTTEN EGG!!!!!!!!!!!
Govt must civic educate Malawians and even most journalist the difference between citizenship and permanent residence permit. There are several and quick ways to obtain a residence permit like marriage, extreme talent and serious investors and this applies all over the world. Now the difference between permanent residence permit and citizenship status is very negligible. In USA only citizens can vote but in case of Malawi I don’t know cause I hear phrases like “..those who have continuously lived in Malawi for 7 years can vote…”.
So stop this foreignerphobia especially those of Asian origin because it will not take us anywhere. AMalawi olemera chomwe amadziwa nkumanga residential buildings mma area not knowing that doesn’t bring forex to this country.
This is getting worse in countries like Botswana these idiots cannot aquire land as easy as this.And not only do they ill-treat their employees who are malawian but they are now sexualy abusing them.We need a leader who will take them on certainly not APM who is sleeping on the job
The Seven Eleven group came to Malawi during the time of Muluzi, within 3 years they were given Malawi Citizenships with the Red Depolomatic Passports, they are busy buying land everywhere in Lilongwe City, they have access to buying land to Ministery of Lands, Malawi Housing and City Council, these are the most corrupt Asians in Malawi together with these Asians who have grabbed every chicken businesses which Malawians used to do , the Rwandese and Burundians are busy buying Malawi as well. Malawi is free for foreigners , all the prime land is being taken over by foreigners. Our next president SKC come and deal with these land grabbers next year 2019.
The Corruption Beauro should drop this case because these individuals did not benefit it’s their companies and the relatives who benefits. Same as APM with DPP and 145M.
What’s wrong with us Malawians?The issue of foreigners, particularly Indians, Chinese and, in general, those from the Asian continent, started with UDF government. The practice has intensified after DPP came to power and is obviously one way the party has amassed wealth; another form of cashgate.
Have you ever heard of a Malawian, or any African for that matter, owning land/property in Mumbai? We are indeed cursed and the sooner this evil government is booted out the better.
You can’t own a piece of land in Mumbai coz you cant afford it . You live on the alms goven by other countries and you expect to buy land in India. Beggars !! Get electricity in ur country first., “Fanta” mongering corrupt lazy people
Yes we know you are Indian. One day and the day is coming soon. You will be chased out of this country like dogs. You mistake our kindness for weakness.
Pump sense into him, Bro Change. That land will at a certain point revert back to indigenous Malawians. He should not take Malawians as weaklings. Malawians learnt something from Chilembwe’s lamentations.
keep on building until the day we will chase you out of our beautiful land suckers.
That’s typical of Malawian mafias ism
TRUSTING foreigners than fellow
MALAWIANS !!
Malawi is just full of stupid people. At least he is developing the land. There are a lot of people that are getting land the same way and not developing the land.
Ndekuti Pumbwa uja as usual analandi K145 millions kumenekuso, paja zikumakhala ngati Chachikhumi…Lord have mercy.. Malawi alipa Moto under this satanic, sadistic , vision less , violent Mafia of DPP and Godfather from Chicago.
This guy i very corrupt indeed. He has palmoiled MHC top staff and has acquired land through corrupting MHC Officials allocating land to him in Lilongwe of which Anglican Church was denied expansion in area 47. He is also the same one building a PUMA SERVICE STATION IN AREA 49 surprisingly he has built a house on the filling station on which his fellow Pakistanis are staying yet that is supposed to be for commercial not residential purposes but because of corruption, he is freely being untouchable.
He will be cleared without doubt because he has connections with powers that be.
We really need to start being patriotic. These Asians are only here to exploit us. That is why we need Saulos Chilima as president. He is the only person that is talking tough on corruption. Part of the problem is these Asians. They have become too comfortable in a country which our forefathers toiled for. It’s time to change the laws to net all this corrupt filth. Throw them in a jail for decades.
UTM operation chosa mbava woyeee! This is too much!!
MCP KWACHA BOMA LATHU DZIKO LATHU, INU A DPP MUULULENI MFANAYU KUTI ANABERA MA VOTE. CHAKWERA MIA BOMA!!!!!!