The controversy surrounding the sale of Amaryllis Hotel has taken a new turn after the emergence of what are said to be additional CCTV recordings allegedly showing a senior Cabinet minister participating in the withdrawal and movement of cash linked to the transaction. The footage is understood to form part of material obtained by the […]
There are bad investments, there are questionable investments and then there are investments that leave everyone asking a rather simple question: who, exactly, was minding the shop? That question now hangs over the Public Service Pension Trust Fund’s K128 billion acquisition of the Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre. The man charged with cleaning up the mess, […]
Malawi is not being robbed under cover of darkn ess. It is being plundered in broad daylight, by men in suits who are protected by men with guns. That is the blistering verdict of Onjezani Kenani in a Facebook post that is stirring debate online. Mr Kenani was reacting to CCTV footage in the Amaryllis […]
Malawi’s Anti-Corruption Bureau is locked in a desperate race against the clock to keep a tight grip on funds tied to the controversial purchase of the plush Amaryllis Hotel — with the clock ticking down fast on a crucial three-month restriction order due to expire next week. The high-stakes deadline falls on October 7, leaving […]
Democratic Progressive Party strategist Collins Magalasi cut a frail and pained figure as he arrived at the Chief Resident Magistrate Court in Lilongwe, struggling to walk as his health appeared to deteriorate – before magistrate Austin Banda granted him bail in both cases he is facing. Although on remand, Magalasi is currently receiving medical treatment […]
Former Director of Legal Affairs in the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) under the previous Malawi Congress Party administration, Chizaso Nyirongo, risks arrest and prosecution over his role in the controversial sale of the Amaryllis Hotel. A newly released report on the Amaryllis Hotel inquiry has recommended that appropriate administrative and legal action […]
Former Malawi Energy Regulatory Authority Chief Executive Officer Collins Magalasi will remain in custody at Maula Prison for another weekend after today’s scheduled court session failed to proceed, with the matter now pushed to Monday. Magalasi has been on remand at Maula since Senior Resident Magistrate Shukrani Kumbani reserved her ruling on his bail application […]
Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has recommended further investigation, legislative reform, recovery of losses and individual accountability over the K128.7 billion Public Service Pension Trust Fund purchase of Amaryllis Hotel. The committee’s report was adopted on March 31, under committee chairperson Steven Malondera. PAC said the transaction represented serious lapses in fiduciary discipline, governance and […]
A hotly-anticipated parliamentary report into the controversial purchase of Amaryllis Hotel is finally ready to be tabled — bringing to a head months of wrangling over a star witness who never testified. Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has wrapped up its probe into the Public Service Pension Trust Fund’s purchase of the hotel, Speaker of […]
The governing Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) strategist Collins Magalasi has been REFUSED bail and thrown back into Maula Prison on remand following his arrest over a explosive multi-billion kwacha money laundering scandal. The Lilongwe Senior Resident Magistrate’s Court slammed the door on Magalasi’s bid for freedom, ordering the economist and top politician to remain behind […]
There is a particular kind of theatre to Malawi’s high-profile corruption cases, and Collins Magalasi’s has, over the course of a single dramatic week, supplied nearly all of it: fresh charges sprung mid-hearing, magistrates swapping roles, sympathisers queuing to shake a defendant’s hand, and a defence lawyer left, by his own admission, simply “surprised.” The […]
Malawi Parliament is set to establish a number of joint committees to investigate and address concerns raised by members of the public over issues ranging from the Amaryllis Hotel probe and pension fund administration to persistent power outages, passport processing, mining and conditions in Malawi’s prisons. The announcement was made by Speaker of Parliament Sammier Sulemani […]
A bizarre contradiction has emerged between police and former MERA boss Collins Magalasi, just a day after his arrest, over whether he has actually been formally charged in connection with the Amaryllis Hotel scandal. National Police spokesperson Gladys Chiwawula told Nyasatimes that Magalasi has NOT yet been charged, insisting officers are still in the process […]
Two men have been arrested in Blantyre on suspicion of money laundering, after police caught them allegedly exchanging suspicious sums of foreign currency at the Amaryllis Hotel. Blantyre Police Spokesperson Mary Chiponda disclosed that the pair were found in possession of US$9,200 — roughly K15.9 million — along with a further K30 million in local […]
Former MERA boss Collins Magalasi has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) in connection with the controversial Amaryllis Hotel deal. National Police spokesperson Gladys Chiwawula confirmed the arrest, saying further details would be provided later. Magalasi was picked around 5am today in Area 49, Lilongwe and is being kept at Lumbadzi police station. The […]
Malawi’s opposition leader has issued a furious demand for accountability over the stalled Amaryllis Hotel scandal, declaring that the country risks “slowly embracing corruption as policy” unless answers are finally delivered over the controversial K128 billion pension fund purchase. Simplex Chithyola Banda used his closing remarks to parliament to reignite pressure on government over the […]
A bombshell parliamentary probe into the controversial K128 billion purchase of Blantyre’s Amaryllis Hotel is looking increasingly like it has been quietly buried, after Parliament rose this Friday without ever receiving a report into the scandal-hit deal. The stunning omission comes despite the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) being explicitly given the green light to wrap […]
Months after the Amaryllis Hotel transaction triggered public outcry, a parliamentary inquiry and the freezing of bank accounts, no arrests have been made and no funds have been recovered, raising renewed concerns about the effectiveness of Malawi’s financial oversight systems. The 90‑day freeze on the accounts at the centre of the controversy has elapsed, and […]