MALAWI: EMJ Advisory Defends Amaryllis Hotel Valuation Before PAC

By Smile Hamilton, Malawi

EMJ Advisory Public Accountants has defended its role in assessing the purchase of Amaryllis Hotel during the second day of a public inquiry by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC).

One of the firm’s directors, Emmanuel Chisale, told the Committee that the company was hired by the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) in November 2025 to evaluate the viability of buying the hotel. However, he admitted that EMJ Advisory Public Accountants is not a registered property valuer.

Chisale said the firm conducted desk research using information provided by parties involved in the transaction. “Our task was to analyse the financial viability of the deal using the information that was provided to us,” he said.

According to Chisale, EMJ recommended that the purchase was viable and suggested a price range of between MK115 billion and MK145 billion. The firm, which has two directors — Oliver Chilemba and Emmanuel Chisale — was paid MK26 million for the ten-day assignment.

In the afternoon, the Malawi Law Society also appeared before the Committee and submitted documents allegedly exchanged between the Office of the President and Cabinet and PSPF, which it said were received from a whistleblower.

The Society’s Vice-Chairperson, Mcharven Ngwata, urged Parliament to speed up the enactment of a Whistleblower Protection Law, saying it is important in strengthening the fight agains

t corruption.