LILONGWE-(MaraviPost)-It has come to light that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that a businessman Mahmood Azhar Chaudry, residing in Malawi, 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 Chaudry 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 Chaudry had erected a signpost at his Sunnyside residence in Blantyre declaring it the “Pakistan Consulate” and drove vehicles bearing CD (Corps Diplomatique) 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.
Chaudry, originally from Pakistan and reported to have obtained a Malawi citizenship, declined to comment on the accusations.
The clarification by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs came when Chaudry, 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 Chaudry’s conduct as “a spat 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.
“It is high time we get serious as a nation,” he said, warning that misuse of diplomatic symbols undermines Malawi’s obligations to foreign states and triggers criminal liability.
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.
“If he was able to lie about his diplomatic status, what else can he lie about? Authorities should check his passport as well.
“Chances are high he may have also misled public officers at the Immigration Department to obtain a diplomatic passport, which is criminal,” Sikusa said.
Chaudry’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.
Zoa Tea Estates accused him of misrepresentation and suppression of material facts, citing WhatsApp messages as evidence of misleading conduct.
The court scrutinised his actions as attempts to obstruct enforcement of earlier rulings, raising concerns about abuse of judicial processes.
Despite repeated exposure of his fraudulent claims and ongoing litigation, no criminal action has yet been taken against Chaudry for impersonating a diplomat.
Analysts warn that failure to act sets a dangerous precedent for governance and Malawi’s international credibility.
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