Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman has directed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) to conclude its inquiry into the Amaryllis Hotel transaction without the testimony of former secretary to the President and Cabinet Colleen Zamba.
Zamba’s failure to appear before the committee tasked to investigate the hotel’s purchase by the Public Service Pension Trust Fund stalled the conclusion of the probe after Leader of the House Jappie Mhango earlier indicated that closing the probe without her testimony would render the report useless.
However, through her legal team, Zamba contended that she would not appear before the inquiry as the State had also levelled criminal charges against her in relation to the transaction; hence, giving testimony to PAC would legally be out of order.
In an interview on Sunday, Suleman said he met PAC chairperson Steven Malondera to establish why the committee has failed to secure Zamba’s appearance and learnt that the former top government official is facing court proceedings related to the hotel purchase, making it impossible for Parliament to compel her to testify.
The Speaker said that in the circumstances, the committee should proceed to finalise its inquiry and produce the report without Zamba’s evidence.
Said Suleman: “If four people have been apprehended for murder and one of them has escaped, does the trial stop or does it continue? We know the answer.
“The report has to be produced one way or the other. That is our stand.”
He said Parliament was simply observing the law which bars it from discussing matters that are before the courts.
Suleman said PAC is expected to meet this week to agree on a roadmap for concluding the inquiry, with the aim of presenting its report during the current sitting of Parliament.
He maintained that most key stakeholders had already testified and expressed confidence that the committee had gathered sufficient evidence to complete its work.
The Speaker also dismissed assertions that Parliament will bow down to pressure from the Executive to insist on Zamba’s appearance.
“We conducted this inquiry after government itself referred the matter to Parliament. Once we finish, we will submit our recommendations to government,” he said.
In a separate interview yesterday, Zamba’s lawyer George Kadzipatike welcomed Parliament’s position, saying it was consistent with the law.
“It is obvious that when there is a court case, Parliament does not discuss matters before the courts. Zamba’s case could not have been an exception,” he said.
Last week, Mhango insisted that the committee could not produce a credible report without hearing from Zamba.
During the previous meeting of Parliament, Mhango opposed the tabling of the PAC report without testimony from Zamba and Yusuf Investment Limited, owners of the Blantyre hotel.
National Anti-Corruption Alliance chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa, whose organisation had earlier pushed for Zamba’s testimony to strengthen the report’s credibility, in an interview yesterday said the committee has little choice but to proceed.
“With this development there is no other option but to proceed with the release of the report. As CSOs, we have no choice; let it proceed as it is,” he said.
Parliamentary Standing Orders indicate that once adopted by the committee, the report will be submitted to the Speaker who will arrange a meeting of the Business Committee to schedule its tabling in Parliament. Members will then debate the report before the House decides whether to adopt its findings and recommendations.
Yusuf Investment Limited requested to testify in camera, but the committee refused.
A leaked report on the PAC inquiry in April mentioned Zamba, former State Residences chief of staff Prince Kapondamgaga, former Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC) director of legal and the fund’s board chairperson Chizaso Nyirongo and Anti-Corruption Bureau acting director-general Gabriel Chembezi as some of the officials to face relevant action.
The hotel deal between the Pension Fund and Yusuf Investment Limited has been marred by controversy regarding procedure and whether this was a sound investment decision. Others alleged corruption in the transaction.
However, in a December 18 2025 letter to the Attorney General, Chembezi said “the ACB did not find sufficient evidence to sustain charges of corrupt practices or abuse of office by the public officers involved in the transaction”.
