MaBLEM Calls for Amaryllis Hotel Shutdown Amid Ongoing Probe

Civil rights grouping Malawi-Led Black Economic and Empowerment Movement (MaBLEM) has called on authorities to immediately shut down the controversial Amaryllis Hotel as investigations into its controversial purchase continue to drag on. The grouping has accused ownersYusuf Investmentsof displaying what it described as “unruly behaviour” by allegedly snubbing appearances before the Parliamentary Committee on Public Accounts (PAC), which is probing the hotel acquisition deal. Speaking in an interview on Wednesday, May 6, MaBLEM National Coordinator Fryson Chodzi said suspending the hotel’s operations would give concerned stakeholders, including civil servants, confidence that pension funds used in the transaction are being protected.

Chodzi argued that it was difficult to understand how approximately K90 billion out of the reported K128 billion involved in the deal could allegedly be frozen while the hotel continues operating normally. “It is hard to believe that K90 billion out of K128 billion has been frozen when the hotel is still using the same funds for operations,” said Chodzi. He further questioned the role of financial institutions involved in the transaction, claiming that refusal byNational Bank of Malawito disclose detailed information regarding the usage of the proceeds raises more questions about the deal.

“The moment National Bank refused to disclose detailed usage of the hotel purchase proceeds, it meant the hotel is still benefiting from the sale as it remains fully operational,” he alleged. According to Chodzi, the money involved belongs to public servants and must be safeguarded at all costs. “These are public servants’ funds and they must be protected.

[paywall]

The best way to safeguard taxpayers’ money is to shut down or suspend operations at Amaryllis Hotel until the matter is fully resolved,” he said. He added that, in MaBLEM’s view, there is no justification for Yusuf Investments to continue operating the facility if most of the money has already been paid. “In all fairness, where K90 billion out of K128 billion was paid, there is no justifiable reason for Yusuf Investments to continue running the hotel when they no longer hold meaningful shares in the facility,” Chodzi claimed.

Dubbed “Occupy Amaryllis,” the planned protests are expected to pressure authorities to recover the money or transfer control of the hotel to government. “The vigils will take place at the hotel itself. The message is simple: pay back the money or hand over the hotel to government,” he said. The controversial hotel purchase continues to attract national attention, with PAC yet to conclude its investigations due to the absence of some key witnesses.

[/paywall]