Asearch at Zuneth Sattar’s house in Leicester, United Kingdom, by agents of the National Crimes Agency, among others, found official correspondence between Malawi’s president Lazarus Chakwera and the Malawi Defense Force commander Vincent Nundwe.
Sattar also had in possession official letter exchange between MDF commander and Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority (PPDA).
A filing in UK’s courts by the NCA, which the Platform for Investigative Journalism has sourced, shows the extraordinary access Sattar had to the Malawi government.
Sattar, who was arrested in the United Kingdom alongside his wife Tahera and business associate Iqbal Rafik Ebrahim, is accused of an industrial-scale web of bribery and corruption that ran for decades in Malawi, earning over multi-billion contracts for a decade.
Sattar denies any wrongdoing and has vowed to clear his name.
Neither president Chakwera nor MDF Commander Vincent Nundwe has been named in either ACB or NCA corruption investigation but a close aide to the president, Chief of Staff Prince Kapondamgaga is named. The President in a recent address indicated that ACB investigations have so far shown that 15 members of the administration including some in the military, ACB, PPDA, and others, had a corrupt relationship with Sattar.
Reads the filing by the NCA: “The covert searches of his office premises established that SATTAR is in possession of internal government documents relating to these contracts which should not be held by anyone outside of the Malawian government. It is not yet known how SATTAR came to be in possession of these documents, but the nature of them means his acquisition must have been facilitated by someone involved in the procurement process.”
The President’s letter dated the 30th September 2020 showed approval for the signing of two contracts for the procurement of anti-riot equipment by the Malawi Defense Force.
The second official document, an Internal Malawian Letter dated the 29th September 2020 from the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority to The Commander Malawi Defence Force was confirming PPDA’s approval of two contracts, signed off by Eillas E.D. Hausi the Director General.
Another document, an Internal Malawian Letter dated the 16th July 2020 from the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Authority to The Commander Malawi Defence Force confirming PPDA’s ‘no objection’ to the Commander awarding the two contracts.
“The third page of this internal letter states ‘no objection’ approval is based on the review of documentation and approval of the board of PPDA and a no-objection granted by the Anti-Corruption Bureau on the 16th July 2020 following their vetting of the process and suppliers. Eillas E.D. Hausi Director General then signs off the letter,” reads the filing.
The Malawian-born businessman is the subject of an unprecedented joint investigation by the UK and Malawi law enforcement agencies recently gave his first-ever interview to the UK’s Times newspaper in which he dismissed all allegations of corruption charged against him.
Sattar was arrested in October 2021 by the NCA in respect of allegations of corruption relating to three public contracts awarded between 2019 and 2021 with the Malawian government – relating to armored personnel carriers, food rations, and water cannons.
Sattar has not been charged with wrongdoing in the UK or Malawi.
The PIJ’s previous attempts to speak to Sattar did not yield any fruits but via court documents in our possession and through the Times interview, we are able to build a picture of his line of defense.
Sattar is represented by Simon Farrell QC, who recently in court described Sattar as an international businessman.
“He is an innocent man of good character and why should his business be turned upside down? He’s an international businessman crippled by this,” Farrell claimed, adding that his client believed that the NCA case was “misconceived.”
Adeposition in UK court by the National Crimes Agency accessed by the Platform for Investigative Journalism offers a bird’s eye view into the world of businessman Zuneth Sattar including close associates who enabled his alleged extended web of corruption and patronage.
Some of the associates have been arrested by the NCA in the UK and the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in Malawi.
RAFIQ EBRAHIM
One of those key associates is a man called Iqbar Rafiq Ebrahim. He was arrested alongside Sattar on the 5th of October 2021.
According to a filing by the NCA in a UK court, EBRAHIM is believed to be a close associate of SATTAR and it is believed that he is trusted with “the important role of laundering the money obtained from the GOM contracts.
According to the court document, EBRAHIM and his wife Shabana EBRAHIM are the sole shareholders and Directors of UK-based companies, Cordovan Limited, Grand Motor Company, and Grand Motor Rentals. He is also the beneficial owner of two companies in the UAE called Pyrite General Trading LLC and Crimson Trading LLC.
“EBRAHIM has been observed driving luxury vehicles and surveillance has also shown that he travels frequently with SATTAR for business purposes, he has taken multiple flights with SATTAR and the families have been on a Dubai holiday together as well as staying in London hotels, again together with their families,” reads the filing.
Between 28/06/2018 and 06/10/2019 Pyrite General Trading LLC received approximately USD $22, 600,000 from the Accountant General of Malawi.
“It is believed that these payments are related to corrupt activity in Malawi controlled by SATTAR as he has been recorded discussing the control he has over EBRAHIM and the company. b. Crimson Trading LLC. This company also obtained contracts from the GOM and again although EBRAHIM is the beneficial owner it is believed that SATTAR controls the company. It is believed that the above companies are ultimately controlled by SATTAR and have been set up on his instructions in order to give the impression that goods supplied via the GOM contracts are packaged and shipped via independent companies, in an attempt to justify the inflated costs and give the impression of a separate entity within the supply chain. They are also used to obtain government contracts alongside companies owned by Mr. SATTAR, where single-source supply has been banned,” reads the court document.
When Sattar incorporated his Malachitte LLC in the UAE Ebrahim registered his UAE company Crimson Trading.
Sattar registered Odyssey Properties Investment in South Africa on the 6th October 2016 and correspondence relating to the company formation was recovered from SATTAR’s premises when it was searched on the 5th of October 2021.
“At present the nature of business is unknown but from material already obtained the company has received money from EBRAHIM’s UAE company Pyrite General Trading in 2018. A copy of the company formation documents recovered are attached as Exhibit PB/1f,” reads the document.
In a 14-month-long covert operation, NCA agents shadowing Sattar and Ebrahim also that their families meet socially on a regular basis even throughout the strictest of COVID restrictions.
ASHOK SREEDHARAN
Also known as Ashok Nair, Ashok Sreedharan was arrested alongside former Lands and Housing Minister Kezzie Msukwa. He will gain more attention after obtaining a controversial court order that stopped the ACB from prosecuting him and Msukwa which is still under review in court.
NCA covert audio recordings from Sattar’s UK office premises at Studio 4, Phoenix Square, Leicester, indicate that Sreedharan plays a key role in SATTAR’S business dealings in Malawi and he is believed to be used by SATTAR to facilitate the paying of cash bribes to officials in Malawi.
“On the 21st December 2020, Sattar is allegedly heard instructing Sreedharan that he needs to make cash payments to a number of people. The investigation team established from flight records that SREEDHARAN flew out of the UK the following day.
Sreedharan is also responsible for the general running and maintenance of the office when he is here in the UK, according to the filing.
Zaheera SULEMAN
Zaheera Suleman was born on the 20th of October 1989 and is a commercial property solicitor by profession employed by Sattar at Xaviar Limited.
Despite being a lawyer, the work she has been identified as carrying out for Sattar has not been of a legal nature and has been general administrative work in relation to the SATTAR’S growing property portfolio.
“Pivotal to the evidence gathering to date has been Sattar’s office which is situated at Studio 4, Phoenix Square, 1 Burton Street, Leicester, LE1 1TB. A covert audio device, the deployment of which was authorized by RIPA authorities, was deployed at the premises. This device has enabled the investigation team to monitor and record conversations that have taken place within the office premises between the subjects and also to overhear phone conversations. This includes conversations where SATTAR was understood to be using the speakerphone. 47. The covert audio recordings at SATTAR’s office premises indicate SULEMAN is aware of SATTAR’s criminal activity and that she is a trusted associate. She has also been implicated as advising SATTAR on measures such as how to avoid paying tax,” reads the filing.
On the 11th of March 2021, an audio recording recorded a discussion between Sattar and Suleman allegedly discussing his wealth.
“SULEMAN says it is good ‘to split your stuff in different places so if anyone comes to your house it’s not all in there. SATTAR tells her he has gold bars, and a safe deposit box containing cash in his apartment in Singapore, ‘I’ve got cash and watches everywhere,” it reads.
It adds: ”SULEMAN points out they are getting charged VAT on all of this (if managed by others) but they are not registered for VAT. She adds it has to be someone they trust fully and suggests one of his sons. SATTAR says they will have to trust the individual because of what they discuss in the office.”
On the 4th of March 2021, a conversation allegedly took place between Sattar and Suleman in relation to the management of the property portfolio in which Suleman suggested they pay someone £50,000 a year to manage all their own properties so that no one knows their business, how many properties they have and what they are doing with them.
Suleman was arrested on the 5th of October 2021 by the NCA and provided a prepared statement denying the allegations and claiming she hadn’t committed any offenses. She answered ‘no comment’ to all questions asked in the interview.
Watch out for any high-end cars out on the road. They could be one of the many that embattled businessman Zuneth Sattar sent to Malawi as part of an alleged bribery campaign to woo Malawi government officials to do Sattar’s bidding.
According to a filing in a UK court accessed by the Platform for Investigative Journalism, Sattar and his business associates sent several cars to Malawi to be gifted to various public officials.
The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) when arresting ex-Lands and Housing Minister Kezzie Msukwa revealed that the former minister received a Mercedes Benz from the businessman in exchange for intervention in land matters involving Sattar and the filing suggests more officials also were gifted vehicles.
The vehicles were in addition to other alleged gifts, payments, and free trips which Sattar rolled out to officials.
“It is believed that SATTAR has supplied multiple high-value motor vehicles to officials in Malawi as bribes,” reads the filing.
According to the filing, on the 28th of January 2021 Sattar’s business associate, Rafik Ebrahim, who was arrested alongside Sattar and his wife Tehara, exported to Malawi through his company Grand Motor Company, a UK-registered Mercedes S C200 motor vehicle, (approximate value USD 18,367) to Malawi via Tanzania.
“The recipient in Malawi was shown as a Nason Nelson KAYENDA, care of the Malawi Revenue Authority, Blantyre, Malawi. Nason Nelson KAYENDA has been identified as a Customs Officer with the Malawi Revenue Authority. It is believed that the vehicle was a gift to this customs officer, potentially in relation to support he may have provided to Mr. SATTAR and his associates,” reads the filing.
Following his arrest on the 5th October 2021, NCA officers searched SATTAR’s home address and recovered a five-page document belonging to one of his companies, Pyrite, dated 14th September 2021 and entitled, “Statement” which listed a large number of vehicles and many of these were shown as having been shipped to Malawi.
The records are summarized as follows;
om 11th July 2018 – a Mercedes S350d registration BU16YYK valued at £30,300 to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania,
18th September 2018 – a VW Tourag registration DF15FCD valued at £18,800 to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, on 24th December 2018 – Shipping and delivery for 2 cars to Malawi: BMW 340i and Range Rover SVR. Cost £7,800.
On 3rd August 2019 – Mitsubishi Fuso Truck shipping to Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania, charged £3,250,
On 13th January 2020 – Mercedes G Class shipping to Limbe [Cameroon] charged £3,600, on 2nd March 2020 – Range Rover Vogue registration KV68PCF valued at £51,500, and shipping costs of £4,250 for shipping to Lilongwe, Malawi via Nacala [Mozambique],
On 26th June 2020 – two Mercedes 5350d L AMG registration KT17OAO and FY65LZE to Walvis Bay, [Namibia]. Value of vehicles £22,350 and £22,550.
On 20th January 2021 – Range Rover SVR registration BD70NKH valued at £92,520 to Lilongwe [Malawi], charged £8,750.
On 21st February 2021 – Porsche 911 Carrera Convertible valued at £104,000, on 10th April 2021 paid £8,600 for shipping the Porsche and a VW Golf to Lilongwe via Durban
Sattar denies any wrongdoing and has vowed to clear his name.
The witness account against Sattar suggests that Xaviar Limited is the company used by SATTAR when obtaining Government of Malawi contracts.
“It is in this company name that he has obtained GOM contracts, having committed the criminal offences of bribery to secure these contracts, and subsequently received the proceeds into this company’s Bank of Baroda USD account. Between the 17th January 2019 and the 3rd March 2021, the Accountant General of Malawi has paid the total of USD 35,416,597 to this Bank of Baroda account of Xaviar Limited,” reads a submission by Philip BOUNDY, a Financial Investigator of the National Crime Agency.
“No other funds are received and therefore there is nothing to suggest this company has had any legitimate income,” it adds.
Under Xaviar Limited there are also Xaviar Investments Limited and Xotics Limited.
“Xaviar Investments Limited appears to have been created to purchase and manage property in the UK and has been solely funded by payments from Xaviar Limited and loans from SATTAR himself,” the submission reads before adding:
“The monies going into Xaviar Limited have come from the Accountant General of Malawi and are the subject of this criminal investigation which is being conducted with the support of the ACB in Malawi.”
Xaviar Investments Limited has been used for SATTAR’s multiple property investments in the UK and substantial funds have been transferred to Xaviar Investments Limited from Xaviar Limited, with a clear money trail back to the Accountant General of Malawi payments, and these funds have been used for the property purchases here in the UK. The Bank of Baroda account of Xaviar Investments Limited now receives rental income from many of the properties purchased.
“Xaviar Investments have been loaned funds by Xaviar Limited and as of the 2020 return, the balance owed to Xaviar Limited by Xaviar Investments Limited is £3,536,524. As stated above the source of these loaned funds from Xaviar Limited is the Accountant General of Malawi and from the corruptly obtained GOM contracts.”
Another company that is linked to Sattar is Pyrite General Trading LLC which holds a general trading licence in the UAE. Between June 28, 2018, and October 06, 2019, the company received approximately USD $22,600,000 from the Accountant General of Malawi.
“It is believed that these payments are related to corrupt activity in Malawi controlled by SATTAR as he has been recorded discussing the control he has over EBRAHIM and the company,” the submission.
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