By Linda Kwanjana
Officials at the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) have been left shocked after discovering that most of the land transfer transactions carried out by controversial Blantyre businessman Mahmood Azhar Chaudhry, for which duty was supposed to be paid, could not be found in the authority’s system.
The missing records suggest Chaudhry may have fraudulently bypassed MRA procedures to complete the transfers, giving the tax body strong reason to probe the matter further.
According to inside sources, MRA has already begun examining Chaudhry’s dealings with the tax body, focusing on transactions dating back to 2022. Officials reportedly grew suspicious after reviewing a handful of documents and have since taken keen interest in continuing the process before formally summoning him.
“This is a matter MRA is taking seriously and will leave no stone unturned,” one source said, underscoring the gravity of the probe.
Other sources claim that all the properties transferred have their tax clearance certificates missing from the system, forcing officers to rely on other available information.
The development adds to Chaudhry’s mounting troubles. He recently admitted before the High Court that he paid part of the purchase price for a locally sold vehicle in British pounds in London, a clear violation of Malawi’s Exchange Control Act.
Economic experts have described the admission as reckless, warning that externalisation drains the country’s foreign exchange reserves and attracts severe penalties, including fines, imprisonment, and seizure of assets.
Chaudhry’s legal dispute with Speedy’s Limited owner Riaz Jakhura revealed payments amounting to £10,000 in London and additional sums in Malawi, totalling nearly K60 million by late 2021.
Despite these payments, Jakhura counterclaimed K26.4 million, deepening the controversy.
Meanwhile, Chaudhry and his wife, Neelam Azhar Mahmood, have also been linked to alleged irregularities in the transfer of property Title Number Blantyre East 15 and Blantyre East 108.
Investigators are probing whether false citizenship claims were used to secure consent for the transaction, raising questions under Malawi’s amended Land Laws (2022), which restrict foreign nationals from owning private land outside recognised investment purposes.
With both the forex externalisation case and the property transfer scandal casting a long shadow, MRA’s probe marks a significant escalation.
Chaudhry is also reportedly under investigation for goods he supplied to government institutions, which he cleared duty‑free by falsely claiming diplomatic status, including vehicles obtained without paying duty.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2022 clarified that Chaudhry is was never a consular for Pakistan government after he claimed so for sometime.
The tax authority’s determination to scrutinise Chaudhry’s records signals that regulatory bodies are tightening their grip on individuals suspected of exploiting loopholes in Malawi’s financial and legal systems.
