Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman has said his office is exploring ways to ensure that former secretary to the president and Cabinet Colleen Zamba testifies in the K128 billion Amaryllis Hotel acquisition inquiry.
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament’s inquiry into the hotel deal that saw the Public Service Pension Trust Fund buying the hotel has stalled due to Zamba’s missing testimony. PAC’s initial report was rejected in the House over the same.
But in an interview in Lilongwe yesterday, the Speaker said he was scheduled to meet PAC chairperson Steven Malondera for discussions after the government insisted that the report cannot be tabled without evidence from Zamba, considered a key witness.
Suleman said Parliament wants the inquiry concluded, but will not settle for what he described as an incomplete report.
“I am meeting the chair today [Thursday] and that is the main issue we want to discuss,” he said.
Suleman said the meeting will help to explore ways of ensuring that Zamba, who is in South Africa reportedly for medical attention, testifies in the inquiry, stressing that her testimony is crucial because her office was involved in the deal.
“She has to state what she knows about the deal. We also don’t want to rush into having a half-baked report because doing so means that we have just wasted time,” he said.
The Speaker said his first step is to understand why PAC is unable to secure Zamba’s testimony, after which they can explore possible options, such as allowing her to appear virtually or invoking Parliament’s powers to compel her attendance.
Zamba last week virtually testified before the June 10 2024 military plane crash inquiry that killed vice-president Saulos Chilima and eight others.
In a separate interview yesterday, Malondera accused government of frustrating the very testimony it is demanding.
He said while government is insisting on Zamba’s appearance before PAC, it has simultaneously instituted criminal proceedings against her over the same matter, making it impossible for her to testify because of the sub judice rule.
Said Malondera: “The government is playing double standards. The DPP must be honest and sincere.
“If the government through the DPP [Director of Public Prosecutions] is sincere let it withdraw the [criminal] case against Zamba regarding Amaryllis Hotel and we see if she will have issues to appear to the committee.”
In an interview with The Nation early this week, Leader of the House Jappie Mhango maintained that Zamba’s testimony is indispensable, dismissing suggestions that the court case should stall the inquiry.
Zamba’s lawyer George Kadzipatike, a legislator, yesterday said his client has never refused to cooperate with Parliament, but is constrained by the criminal proceedings instituted against her.
The State charged Zamba under Criminal Case No. 266 of 2026 at Mkukula Magistrate’s Court over alleged abuse of office relating to the Amaryllis Hotel transaction.
Kadzipatike said Standing Order 192 bars Parliament and its committees from discussing matters that are before the courts.
DPP Fostino Maele this week referred questions to Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs spokesperson Frank Namangale, who requested more time to respond.
Meanwhile, Malawi Law Society president Davis Njobvu has said Parliament, having established the inquiry, naturally controls its proceedings and the eventual report.
National Anti-Corruption Alliance chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa warned against politicising the inquiry, saying the prolonged standoff risks undermining public confidence in a matter that has generated widespread national interest.
Zamba is on record as having informed Parliament that she was receiving medical treatment abroad and was also unable to appear because of the criminal case linked to the Amaryllis Hotel purchase. Yusuf Investment Limited requested to testify in camera, but PAC rejected.
Under the National Assembly (Powers and Privileges) Act, Parliament may treat refusal to comply with a summons as contempt of Parliament, punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to six months.
Parliament may also seek a High Court order compelling a witness to testify, allowing the courts to determine the extent of a witness’s parliamentary obligations where questions of sub judice arise.
