Businessman Chaudhry Reported Over Alleged Diversion of MAREP Materials

A whistleblower has reported businessman Azhar Mahmood Chaudhry to the Malawi Police Service’s Fiscal Section over allegations that materials meant for the Malawi Rural Electrification Project were diverted and stored at a warehouse in Blantyre.

In a statement dated June 8, 2026, the whistleblower, whose name has been withheld for security reasons, said Chaudhry approached him around June 2025 seeking space to store aluminium twin wire and stay wire. He agreed, and on June 2, 2025, 18 drums were delivered to the warehouse by Siku Transport. The whistleblower submitted a Siku Transport delivery note and a National Bank of Malawi deposit slip for K1,631,000 paid by Chaudhry’s firm, Mas International, to Siku Transport as evidence to Fiscal Police.

The whistleblower further stated that he later discovered the goods belonged to MAREP under contract number 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,” he explained.

The owner of the warehouse told Fiscal Police that he had information that Kumakoka Trading received advance payment from the Ministry but failed to fully perform the contract, and suspects the goods in his warehouse are tied to that breach. The warehouse owner also assured police that he is ready to hand over the materials to the Ministry.

The Ministry of Energy is already pursuing Kumakoka Trading, Africa Green Economy, and Loui Holdings Group (Pty) Limited for allegedly pocketing nearly K1.4 billion in upfront payments under MAREP Phase 9 without fulfilling their obligations. Information gathered through court documents and interviews reveals that Africa Green Economy Limited received K698,050,991.00, while Kumakoka Trading Company pocketed K523,538,243.57. For Loui Holdings Group, court documents show the firm is in material breach of the same contract, with an outstanding advance of K144,674,756.91 for undelivered cables. The Attorney General’s Chambers has since commenced legal action to recover the funds from the three firms, together with interest, damages and other costs arising from the alleged breaches.

Chaudhry is a known businessman who has been embroiled in several criminal scandals. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs a few years ago revealed that he never held diplomatic status despite posing 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 clarified that the ministry only issued Chaudhry an identity card to facilitate processes toward establishing an honorary consulate. The ministry stressed that the card did not confer any diplomatic or consular privileges under Malawi law. Yet Chaudhry had erected a signpost at his Sunnyside residence in Blantyre declaring it the “Pakistan Consulate” and drove vehicles bearing CD plates, symbols reserved for accredited diplomats. He later removed the signpost and normalised his vehicle registration after the ministry’s clarification, but analysts say he had already fraudulently enjoyed diplomatic privileges.

The clarification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came when Chaudhry, during a court case, claimed he was a diplomat entitled to privileges and immunities. In response, lawyers wrote to the Ministry seeking confirmation of his diplomatic status, which prompted the ministry to issue its formal statement.

A political scientist at the University of Malawi, who opted for anonymity, described Chaudhry’s conduct as “a slap in the face of Malawi” and warned that such deception should not be allowed to go unpunished. Governance analyst Thomas Cham’dimba echoed the concern, stressing that falsely claiming diplomatic status amounts to impersonation, fraud, and offences against the state under Malawi’s Penal Code. International security expert Haswell Sikusa stressed the importance of addressing lapses decisively for national security. He urged the Ministry of Homeland Security to investigate the matter and, if wrongdoing is confirmed, revoke the individual’s citizenship and deport him. He said his application for citizenship should also be probed.

Chaudhry’s controversies extend beyond false diplomatic claims. He has faced criminal investigations into tax evasion, money laundering, corruption, and forex externalisation, alongside land disputes such as the Kanengo Northgate land grab. Most recently, he was embroiled in _Zoa Tea Estates Limited vs Mahmood Chaudhry Azhar_ (MSCA Misc Civil Application No. 04 of 2026) before the Malawi Supreme Court of Appeal. Chaudhry, originally from Pakistan and reported to have obtained Malawi citizenship, declined to comment on the latest accusations.