Batatawala on the run, Malawi issues arrest warrant over property fraud claims
Fiscal Police in Blantyre are hunting controversial businessman Abdul Karim Batatawala and several other individuals in connection with allegations of forgery, uttering false documents and money laundering, tied to the disputed transfer of a commercial property in the city.
Also wanted are Maaz Karim, Hassan Hussein Jussab, Hassan Jussab, Steven Kajombo, Marion Kajombo, Kuzingwa Chilinjala and Kuleza Phokoso.
According to documents seen by Nyasa Times, Batatawala was summoned to the Fiscal Police Office in Blantyre on Thursday, 9 July, to assist with investigations but failed to honour the summons, reportedly citing various excuses.
Following his no-show, authorities obtained a warrant for his arrest.
The warrant stems from investigations into the alleged attempted transfer of Title Number Blantyre Central 242, a commercial property now subject to proceedings before the High Court’s Commercial Division.
Court documents show that a businessman, whose name has been withheld, successfully obtained an interlocutory injunction stopping any dealings on the property pending determination of the case, restraining the defendants from transferring, occupying or otherwise interfering with it.
Roots of the dispute
The saga dates back to 2022, when Kumakoka Trading Company was awarded a K2.45 billion contract by the Ministry of Energy to supply electrical cables under Phase 9 of the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP).
According to a statement filed in connection with the case, Kumakoka Trading lacked the financial and technical capacity to execute the contract and sought help from Batatawala through the businessman whose property is now at the centre of the dispute.
The businessman allegedly introduced Maaz Batatawala, Abdul Karim Batatawala’s son, whose Dubai-based company, TNA Knight FZ LLC, agreed to source and supply the electrical cables.
As part of the arrangement, the parties allegedly agreed that the businessman’s property, Title Number Blantyre Central 242, would serve as security for execution of the contract.
The relationship later soured over disagreements on the cable supply.
The statement alleges more than US$590,000 was paid to Batatawala, his son and TNA Knight through bank transfers and local currency payments meant to finance procurement of the cables — but goods delivered were worth substantially less than what was paid, while TNA Knight allegedly kept escalating prices and issuing additional charges despite failing to supply the agreed quantities on time.
Questions have also arisen over TNA Knight’s capacity, given that the company simultaneously executed a similar MAREP contract successfully within schedule, while failing to deliver on the Kumakoka Trading agreement — resulting in rejected items due to non-compliance with specifications and timelines.
According to the statement, 18 drums of electrical cables remain at Batatawala’s warehouse, with a further six said to be stored in Kanengo. These claims have not been independently verified.
Property transfer under scrutiny
The commercial dispute escalated into a legal battle after the guarantor alleged attempts had been made to transfer ownership of his property without his knowledge or authority — a claim that now underpins both the civil proceedings and the Fiscal Police’s criminal investigation.
A key development came after the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) responded to an inquiry from the guarantor’s lawyers, Nicholls & Brookes, regarding a Tax Clearance Certificate (TCC) allegedly used in the transfer process.
Under Malawi’s land transfer procedures, a seller must ordinarily obtain a TCC from MRA before a property can be transferred.
In a letter dated 3 July 2026, MRA said it had searched its records for May and June 2026 and found no application for a Tax Clearance Certificate submitted by Hassan Jussab or his representatives regarding the transfer of Title Number Blantyre Central 242.
MRA further stated that its examination of the certificate presented revealed “several inconsistencies and red flags” — including discrepancies in the certificate number, inconsistencies in the official date stamp, differences in the MRA logo, and irregularities in the letterhead layout, all of which it said differed from genuine MRA-issued documents.
Those findings have become central to both the civil dispute and the ongoing criminal probe. The High Court injunction preserves the status quo pending full determination of the matter and does not amount to a finding on the merits of either side’s allegations.
Batatawala is no stranger to controversy. His business interests have previously been linked to public procurement contracts, including projects under MAREP, and he has featured in a number of commercial court proceedings.
Police had not issued a detailed public statement on the matter by the time of publication.
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