By Linda Kwanjana
The High Court in 2022 cleared businessman Abdul Karim Batatawala of tax evasion allegations raised by the Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), contrary to fresh false claims by an online publication linking him again to the same issues.
The matter was heard in the High Court of Malawi Revenue Division, with judgment delivered on May 6, 2022, under the title State (on Application of Batatawala t/a Lindo Group of Companies) v Malawi Revenue Authority (Judicial Review Cause 1 of 2022)
.
This was a judicial review of a tax demand against Batatawala. The court dismissed the case on grounds that the businessman did not exhaust available remedies. MRA effectively cleared him of the tax evasion claims after some discussions.
The ruling was documented and published by MalawiLII (Legal Information Institute), which archives High Court judgments.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau, which was also investigating Batatawala, cleared him on out-of-court settlement, according to a front page lead story of The Daily Times dated July 1, 2025.
Governance and taxation expert Chonde Chomali described the resurfacing of such claims as “saddening,” noting that some publications are deliberately misleading the public.
“The case revolved around administrative fairness and the principle of pay-now-argue-later under Section 105 of the Taxation Act. The businessman had challenged the tax demand, but the court emphasised that he had not exhausted alternative remedies before seeking judicial review.
“This ruling meant that MRA’s tax evasion claims did not proceed further and were amicably resolved later, clearing him of the allegations,” said Chomali.
It is widely believed that Batatawala’s business rivals are behind these fabrications, peddling falsehoods to settle scores.
