By Linda Kwanjana
On the run businessman Mohamed Shabir Salim Jussab is embroiled in yet another scam, this time around his Limbe-based firm, RR Trading, reportedly evaded duty on school uniforms supplied to St. Andrews International Primary School in Blantyre.
Both Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) spokesperson Wilma Chalulu and the school’s company secretary Oswald Mtokale did not respond to questionnaires sent to them last week when asked to respond to the allegations.
But our insiders at MRA disclosed that investigations were underway to pursue the duty evasion by RR Trading and make the firm face the law.
“We are overwhelmed with cases of firms, or even individuals, evading duty. But definitely, we will deal with this one, and so many others before us,” the source said.
Mtokale, asked whether St. Andrews International Primary School was aware of the duty evasion saga of school uniforms applied to them worth over K50 million, said he needed more time to engage the school’s board before responding, but he did not revert by press time today.
The family of Jussab is being implicated in numerous scams soon immediately after Shabir left Malawi for Saudi Arabia.
MRA sources earlier last week also disclosed that businessman Humair Salim Mahomed Sidik Jussab, a young brother to Shabir, lied to authorities at the tax-collecting body that he was a student returning home from school in South Africa to evade paying duty for a hot car he brought in Malawi.
MRA sources said the businessman used special exemptions MRA offer for certain individuals returning home, disclosing that Jussab lied he was a student who went for studies in South Africa and was not returning home.
“Through our ongoing investigations, in collaboration with police, we have discovered that duty was not paid for this car in question, BZ 1382, VW double cab. We know it was being repaired at a garage in Blantyre, Fernando Motors. We have taken special interest and we are investigating the matter further.
“The unfortunate part is that we have learnt that the person in question [Humair Jussab] is not in the country and police are also looking for him on other criminal charges in connection to the same car,” an officer disclosed.
Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Blantyre recently issued a warrant of arrest against businessman Humair Jussab over the car.
This is after Interpol a couple of weeks ago, joined by Malawi Police Service, managed to trace the car at the garage.
Shabir is also suspected to be on the run after another warrant of arrest was also issued against him earlier for alleged cyber harassment offences.
The warrant of arrest issued against Humair require investigators from Blantyre Police Station who applied for it to hunt the suspect and bring him before the court.
“This is to authorise and require you to enter into upon and arrest the said suspect, and if arrested, to take possession of the said suspect and produce the same forthwith before this court,” reads the warrant of arrest in part.
The warrant explains the offence is suspected to have occurred on December 15 2022 when the suspect brought the car into Malawi dishonestly.
MPS investigators carried out an operation in selected districts that included Blantyre and Mangochi, according to South West Region Police Headquarters spokesperson Beatrice Mikuwa.
The Interpol recovered four vehicles, including this Amarok VW registered in the name of Humair Jussab.
Humair’s elder brother, Shabir, apart from the cyber harassment offences, is also wanted by police for assault of his driver, and is also facing a K26 million claim for his client’s vehicle he failed to repair at his garage.
The K26 million claim was filed by Shafqat Kasam, demanding the refund which he said was value of his BMW convertible which he claimed RR Auto Service, Shabir’s garage in Blantyre, failed to repair it for over two years.
Kasam claimed in an interview his car, which he said was a runner and only had a sun roof problem which was not functioning, was not repaired until the garage was sold and he later heard that Shabir was on Interpol Red Alert and in Saudi Arabia.
On the case of the fired driver who told police he was assaulted, the 72-year-old ex-employee, Stainford Kalitsilira, told police his former boss assaulted him and verbally abused him on July 16 2021
