A court in the UK has found that businessman Zuneth Sattar traveled to Malawi recently to influence the ongoing investigation into alleged state capture level corruption by Malawi and UK authorities.

According to an article from the Platform for Investigative Journalism (PIJ), the National Crimes Agency (NCA), which is cooperating with Malawi’s ACB to investigate Sattar, believes the businessman traveled to Malawi to influence the judicial review case into the arrest of his associate Ashok Nair.

The High Court in Lilongwe controversially released Ashok Nair, who was arrested by the ACB alongside former Minister of Lands Kezzie Msukwa, following a judicial review into his arrest.

The Uxbridge Magistrates Court in London, through Deputy District Judge Stein, eventually rejected Sattar’s application to the court that sought an amendment of current bail conditions so that he can be able to travel to Malawi and Dubai.

The judge cited the seriousness of the alleged crimes as a reason for rejecting the plea.

The NCA opposed the application, arguing that the trip was aimed at further interfering in the investigation which in October 2021 led to his arrest by the NCA in Leicester UK, alongside his wife.