Former Secretary to the President and Cabinet (SPC) Colleen Zamba is at the centre of growing scrutiny as Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) prepares to table its investigation report into the controversial acquisition of Amaryllis Hotel in Blantyre by the Public Service Pension Trust Fund (PSPTF), without her testimony.

PAC has confirmed it has concluded its inquiry and is ready to present the findings during the next sitting of Parliament, expected in July.

Committee chairperson Steven Malondera said in an interview with Nation Online that preparations for tabling the report were complete.

“What is remaining is the tabling of the report in the House. We will present it during the next sitting of Parliament,” said Malondera as quoted in Nation Newspaper

Zamba was expected to appear before the committee during the second phase of the inquiry but did not testify.

Her absence has since become a key point of concern among governance stakeholders and civil society organisations, who argue that the findings risk being viewed as incomplete.

Her lawyer, George Kadzipatike, confirmed yesterday that they had “not received any communication from Parliament on that matter recently.”

Human Rights Defenders Coalition chairperson Michael Kaiyatsa said accountability processes must be comprehensive and fair, especially where relevant witnesses are identified.

“Where there are individuals who may possess information relevant to the inquiry, every reasonable effort should be made to hear their testimony before final conclusions are drawn,” he said.

Governance analyst George Chaima said parliamentary committees may proceed with available evidence if witnesses are unavailable, but warned that missing testimonies can affect public confidence in the final report.

At the centre of the inquiry is PSPTF’s purchase of Amaryllis Hotel for K128.7 billion, despite earlier valuations that placed the property’s worth between K30 billion and K47 billion. The pension fund manages retirement savings for about 129,000 civil servants.

The tabling of the report is expected to reignite public debate over the controversial transaction and the decision-making processes behind the acquisition.