Malawi’s government is demanding $309 billion in unpaid taxes and royalties from U.S.-based Columbia Gem House for rubies exported over the past decade, according to Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Miranda. The company dismissed the claim as baseless, arguing the figures are exaggerated and unsubstantiated.
Miranda alleges Columbia Gem House under-reported export values, with evidence sourced from the company’s own declarations. The firm denies operating in Malawi, stating it sources gemstones from Nyala Mines, in which the government holds a 10% stake.
The government is also pursuing $4 billion from French energy company Total Energies over unpaid revenue from a 2001 oil storage deal and $9.5 million from Turkish tobacco firm Star Agritech for unpaid tobacco shipments. Both companies have denied the claims.
The combined demands far exceed Malawi’s $1.2 billion national debt and $14 billion GDP. Economist Wisdom Mgomezulu suggested the government’s financial struggles might be driving these claims.
