The Limbe Magistrate’s Court has issued warrants of arrest against a Blantyre-based couple of Chaudhry Azhar Mahmood and Neelam Azhar Mahmood for alleged immigration, citizenship and property-related offences.
The warrants, issued by senior resident magistrate Akia Mwanyongo mandate the Malawi Police Service to arrest the two and bring them before the court to answer the charges.
According to court documents The Nation has seen, Chaudhry, a businessperson of Pakistani origin, is facing multiple charges, including making false statements to public officers, obtaining Malawian citizenship through alleged misrepresentation and falsely claiming diplomatic status.
The State alleges that between 2001 and 2004, he knowingly made false declarations to Immigration authorities, leading to the fraudulent acquisition of Malawian citizenship.
Chaudhry is also accused of falsely presenting himself as Pakistan’s honorary consul or consular representative in Malawi between 2018 and 2022 to secure diplomatic privileges, including tax exemptions and the registration of vehicles under consular status.
On the other hand, his wife, Neelam, is wanted on allegations of giving false information to a public officer after allegedly claiming to be a Malawian citizen in an application seeking government consent to transfer of property ownership in Blantyre to a family trust.
However, court documents indicate that Neelam is a British national residing in Malawi on a permanent residence permit.
Meanwhile, the application has been challenged by businessperson Austin Lajabu, who argues that the declaration was false and contrary to Malawi’s land laws, which generally prohibit foreign nationals from owning land except under limited circumstances.
In his sworn statement, he questioned the legitimacy of the application.
