Screenshot
As part of their submission, Yusuf Investments, owners of the controversial Amarylis Hotel have objected to the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Accounts Committee (PAC) currently probing its controversial sale by the Public Service Pension Fund (PSPF) citing lack of jurisdiction over a private entity.
Yusuf Investment legal counsel Gabriel Kambale wrote the committee of its objection citing two fundamental grounds.
“At the outset, and with the greatest respect to this Honourable Committee, I rise to move a preliminary objection on two fundamental grounds:• First, that this Committee lacks jurisdiction over Yusuf Investment Limited; and• Second, that the scope of the inquiry, as framed in your letter of 10th April 2026, is ultra vires your statutory mandate,” reads the notice in part.
Kambale noted that the Committee’s mandate is confined to the public finance oversight saying the Public Audit Act, specifically Sections 18 (Purposes and objectives of the Committee),Section 19 (Functions of the Committee) and Section 20 (Powers of the Committee) if read holistically, one principle emerges with clarity thus the mandate of the committee is confined to oversight of public expenditure, public money and public resources.
“Every function assigned to this Committee is anchored in the examination of audited public accounts, the scrutiny of Government financial management and the accountability of Ministries, statutory bodies, and entities controlled by Government.”
“There is no provision—express or implied—that extends this mandate to the regulation or investigation of private commercial entities acting in their own capacity. Yusuf Investment Limited is such a private entity, it is not a public body and it is not an entity controlled by Government. It is not subject to audit by the Auditor General; and it is not entrusted with the administration of public funds.
About the Author
