Pension officer denies DPP influence over Colleen Zamba

Suspended principal officer for the pension fund, George Jim, has informed Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee that he did not experience any pressure from the ruling Democratic Progressive Party regarding the acquisition of the Amaryllis hotel.

Previously, he mentioned to the members that during the MCP administration, he faced pressure from the former Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Colleen Zamba.

However, when questioned about whether anyone else in the DPP acted similarly to Zamba in advocating for the expedited completion of the hotel purchase, Jim stated that there was no one he could compare to Zamba.

The Public Accounts Committee is currently examining the acquisition of the Amaryllis Hotel by the Public Service Pension Trust Fund, which amounted to K128.7 billion.

This transaction has sparked discussions concerning the increase in price from an initial market valuation of K47 billion by Knight Frank in July 2023 to K128 billion.

In the meantime, PAC chairperson Steven Malondera has announced that Attorney General Frank Mbeta is set to appear before the committee today at 9 AM.