Amaryllis probe deadlock: Govt, PAC clash over Zamba’s appearance

A fierce standoff has erupted between the government and Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) over whether former Secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba should testify before lawmakers, threatening to further delay the release of the long-awaited report into the controversial K90 billion Amaryllis Hotel purchase.

The deadlock comes as the National Advocacy Platform (NAP) has piled pressure on Parliament to table the PAC report before the current sitting ends on July 31, arguing that Malawians deserve answers and accountability over one of the country’s biggest public investment controversies.

NAP Chairperson Benedicto Kondowe said Parliament must not allow the matter to drag on any longer.

“Pension funds represent the sacrifices and future security of workers. Parliament should not become an accomplice to wrongdoing through silence or inaction. It must stand with pensioners and the public,” he said.

But Leader of the House Jappie Mhango insists the report cannot be tabled until Zamba appears before the committee to give her side of the story.

PAC Chairperson Steven Malondera has rejected that position, accusing the government of contradicting itself by demanding Zamba’s appearance while simultaneously prosecuting her over the same transaction.

“It is the same government that obtained a warrant of arrest against Zamba before we concluded the inquiry or tabled the report in Parliament,” Malondera said.

He argued that the government should first discontinue the criminal proceedings if it genuinely wants Zamba to testify before the committee.

Zamba’s lawyer, George Kadzipatike, said his client has never refused to appear before PAC but has been prevented from doing so because of the criminal charges she is facing over alleged abuse of office linked to the hotel purchase.

He cited Standing Order 192 of Parliament, which bars the National Assembly and its committees from deliberating on matters that are before the courts.

PAC launched its investigation following revelations that the Public Service Pension Trust Fund (PSPTF) paid about K90 billion for Amaryllis Hotel despite the Reserve Bank of Malawi directing that the transaction should not proceed.

Although the committee has already heard evidence from several key witnesses, its report remains in limbo as the dispute over Zamba’s appearance continues, setting the stage for a constitutional and political showdown between Parliament and the Executive over accountability in one of Malawi’s most controversial public transactions.

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