Minister Chipungu denies business ties to man accused of running trafficking ring

Chimwemwe Chipungu, Malawi’s Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, has denied having any business relationship with Bahar Sarker, a Bangladeshi national accused of running a smuggling and kidnapping operation, after being named in a recent investigation into his alleged links with senior government figures.

The investigation, published by the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ) in September under the headline “Inside the Smuggling and Kidnapping Ring That Reached the Highest Levels of Malawi’s Government”, identified Sarker as the alleged head of a trafficking syndicate.

Sarker is on remand at Maula Prison alongside a co-accused, Rizwan Farook Akbar, facing kidnapping charges over the alleged abduction of a man named Sharif Islam in Lilongwe.

The report described Chipungu as Sarker’s “most crucial contact” in government, alleging that Sarker had claimed the minister personally arranged VIP seating for him at the presidential inauguration in Blantyre.

The investigation further alleged that Sarker went on to establish a joint venture, IK Investments, with the minister’s brother, Godfrey Chipungu, in order to bid for military supply contracts, including a foodstuff contract for the Malawi Defence Force’s Kamuzu Barracks.

In an interview, Chipungu rejected any suggestion of a business relationship, saying his contact with Sarker amounted to two unconnected, public encounters.

He said Sarker had been a customer at a lodge he has owned since 2016 on the Mchinji-Lilongwe road.

“As a business owner since 2016, I interact with hundreds of people who come to the lodge. Knowing someone as a client does not mean you are in business together or that you are partners,” he said.

The second encounter, he said, occurred while he was serving at the Ministry of Defence, when Sarker visited his office to introduce his company.

“It was a formal, introductory courtesy call, the kind I received from many individuals and companies who wanted to introduce their services to the Ministry. There was no business agreement, no contract, no IK Investments, and no transaction that followed that meeting,” he said.

Addressing the specific claim regarding IK Investments, Chipungu said: “I have no business link, direct or indirect, with Mr. Bahar Sarker. I have never been a director, shareholder or partner in IK Investments, and I have never facilitated any MDF procurement for him or for my brother.”

He pointed to comments made to PIJ by Inspector General of Police Richard Luhanga, who said police investigations had found no evidence that any ministers had received payments from Sarker, and suggested Sarker may have invoked ministers’ names without their knowledge.

Chipungu said he did not condone trafficking, smuggling or kidnapping in any form, and supported the full investigation and prosecution of anyone found responsible.

“Human trafficking and kidnapping are serious, heinous crimes against humanity. If anyone is found guilty, the law must take its course,” he said.

The minister has faced scrutiny in recent months over his personal wealth, and has previously said, through his lawyers, that his lodge business predates his ministerial appointment and was financed through a bank loan.

He urged the public not to draw conclusions from his professional and business contacts with people later accused of wrongdoing.

“The nature of public office and private business means you will meet thousands of people. Meeting someone does not make you complicit in what they do privately,” he said.