Chaudhry reported to fiscal Police over alleged diversion of MAREP aaterials
A whistleblower has reported businessman Azhar Mahmood Chaudhry to the Malawi Police Service’s Fiscal and Fraud Section, alleging that materials meant for the Ministry of Energy were diverted and stored at a warehouse in Blantyre.
In a statement dated June 8, 2026, the whistleblower, whose identity has been withheld for security reasons, said Chaudhry approached him around June 2025 seeking storage space for aluminium twin wire and stay wire at his warehouse.
According to the statement, the warehouse owner agreed to the request, and on June 2, 2025, Siku Transport delivered 18 drums of the materials.
The whistleblower told investigators that he submitted a Siku Transport delivery note and a National Bank of Malawi deposit slip showing a payment of K1,631,000 made by Chaudhry’s company, Mas International, to Siku Transport as evidence.
He further stated that he later discovered the materials allegedly belonged to the Malawi Rural Electrification Programme (MAREP) and had been imported under Contract No. 049-IPDC-MOE-MAREP-G-NCB-2021/22FY-01 between Kumakoka Trading and the Ministry of Energy.
“The documents I saw showed that the goods were actually imported by Kumakoka Trading and were supposed to be delivered to the Ministry of Energy under the above-mentioned contract. I am not sure of the business relationship between Mr. Azhar Mahmood Chaudhry and Kumakoka Trading,” the whistleblower said in his statement.
The warehouse owner also told Fiscal Police that he had information indicating Kumakoka Trading had received an advance payment from the Ministry of Energy but allegedly failed to fulfil the contract. He said he suspected the materials stored in his warehouse were linked to that alleged breach.
He further informed investigators that he was willing to surrender the materials to the Ministry of Energy.
The Ministry of Energy is already pursuing Kumakoka Trading, Africa Green Economy Limited and Loui Holdings Group (PTV) Limited over allegations that they received nearly K1.4 billion in advance payments under MAREP Phase 9 but failed to meet their contractual obligations.
Court documents and interviews indicate that Africa Green Economy Limited allegedly received K698,050,991, while Kumakoka Trading allegedly received K523,538,243.57.
Court records further show that Loui Holdings Group (PTV) Limited is alleged to have outstanding advance payments amounting to K144,674,756.91 for cables that were reportedly never delivered.
The Attorney General has since commenced legal proceedings against the three companies seeking recovery of the funds, together with interest, damages and other costs arising from the alleged contractual breaches.
Chaudhry has previously been linked to several controversies.
A few years ago, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clarified that he had never held diplomatic status despite presenting himself for years as a consular representative of Pakistan in Blantyre.
In a 2022 letter to Ritz Attorneys-at-Law, then Secretary for Foreign Affairs Joel Immanuel Matonga stated that the ministry had only issued Chaudhry an identity card to facilitate processes towards establishing an honorary consulate and that the card did not confer diplomatic or consular status or privileges under Malawian law.
The ministry’s clarification followed Chaudhry’s claim during court proceedings that he was entitled to diplomatic privileges and immunities. Lawyers subsequently sought confirmation of his status from the ministry, prompting the official response.
Despite the ministry’s position, Chaudhry had erected a sign identifying his Sunnyside residence in Blantyre as the “Pakistan Consulate” and drove vehicles bearing Corps Diplomatique (CD) registration plates reserved for accredited diplomats. He later removed the sign and changed the vehicle registrations following the ministry’s clarification.
Chaudhry, who is originally from Pakistan and is reported to have acquired Malawian citizenship, declined to comment on the latest allegations.
Commenting on the earlier diplomatic status controversy, a political scientist at the University of Malawi, who requested anonymity, described the conduct as “a spat in the face of Malawi” and argued that such actions should not go unpunished.
Governance analyst Thomas Cham’dimba said falsely claiming diplomatic status could amount to impersonation, fraud and other offences under Malawi’s Penal Code.
International security expert Haswell Sikusa also called for a thorough investigation, saying authorities should determine whether any laws were broken. He said that if wrongdoing is established, government should consider all legal remedies available, including reviewing the circumstances under which Malawian citizenship was granted.
Chaudhry has also previously been linked to investigations involving alleged tax evasion, money laundering, corruption, foreign exchange externalisation and land disputes, including the Kanengo Northgate land case.
Most recently, he was involved in Zoa Tea Estates Limited v. Mahmood Chaudhry Azhar (MSCA Miscellaneous Civil Application No. 04 of 2026) before the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal.
Note: Because this story contains serious allegations, it would be good journalistic practice to also seek and include comments from the Malawi Police Service, the Ministry of Energy, Kumakoka Trading, and Mas International, or explicitly state that they could not be reached for comment before publication. This strengthens fairness and reduces legal risk.
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