The Media Liaison Committee (MLC) has noted with sadness attempts to dilute the credibility of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) by those mentioned in the report and those failing to ensure the culprits mentioned in the report are investigated and brought to book.
The FIC’s Trends Report of 2018 has so far been condemned by President Edgar C. Lungu, some Patriotic Front party functionaries and the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) among other groupings.
The FIC is the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Government of the Republic of Zambia which was established in November 2010 by an Act of Parliament called, ‘‘the Financial Intelligence Centre Act, No. 46 of 2010.’’ The FIC according to this Act is the sole designated National Agency mandated to receive, request, analyze and disseminate disclosure of information concerning suspected Money Laundering (ML), Terrorist Financing (TF) and other serious offences to competent authorities for investigations with the view of assisting with combatting ML, TF and other serious offences.
The MLC notes that last year alone, the FIC flagged off 80 cases of suspected corruption, money laundering, fraud and terrorist funding to law enforcement agencies.
The MLC expected the Head of State, who swore to uphold and protect the Constitution including institutions set up by the Constitution, to be respectful to the FIC and its work. MLC also expected President Lungu to be happy that there is a hard-working state institution like FIC among many sleeping ones that is working according to the law to protect the integrity of Zambia and its good governance. The FIC is helping President Lungu portray a positive image of a fight against corruption, tax evasion and money laundering amidst international reports like the Transparency International perceptions indices and others that depict increased corruption and diversion of public funds into private use in the Government of which President Lungu is head.
The MLC expected the Head of State to have been glad to receive a report that confirms what he and other citizens of goodwill have always suspected that there are bad elements in his government that are using their time in government to defraud, loot and plunder the national resources meant for development of Zambia.
The MLC would have expected that H.E Edgar Lungu would put to task state agencies like the Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC), the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the Zambia Police (ZP) on how many cases of the 80 reported by the FIC they had brought to court and how many they have cleared.
The MLC also notes a growing trend of disrespecting constitutional bodies like the FIC by the Head of State and those that work with him.
MLC notes with embarrassment the attack of FIC by a fellow state institution the DEC, who according to annual analysis is not doing a good job of protecting the country and our communities from an influx of drugs and has been in effect moribund in advising the country on the best way to operate in the era of many countries legitimising the use of cannabis for food and medical purposes.
The MCL notes that in the 2018 Trends report, the FIC provides for progressive recommendations aimed at protecting the integrity of doing business in Zambia and protecting the proper usage of taxpayer funds.
“Our appeal to the media, especially financial and investigative reporters, is to study the FIC 2018 report and help identify these schemes and deals that are defrauding the people of Zambia of their hard-earned taxes meant for development,” said MLC Chair Mr. Enock Ngoma.
“The MLC urges the media to partner with FIC in ensuring that the Zambian people are well informed of the bad deals and corruption of their civil servants and ministers in the government so that affairs of the government are handled by clean and honest government workers. Zambians that have evidence of government officials building mansions beyond their means should report these individuals to the media so they are investigated and exposed,” said MLC Chair Mr. Enock Ngoma.
Mr Ngoma adds “MLC urges all state institutions to emulate the hard work of the FIC under Mary Chirwa who despite operating in a harsh environment have continued to keep up with their constitutionally mandated role of flagging out financial ills being committed by those in charge of the operations of government. MLC is reminded of the past ACC under Ms Rosewin Wandi that followed through all corruption activities and helped clean the government off corrupt elements and deals.”
MLC encourages Director Mary Chirwa and her team to follow through all the illicit deals and ensure state resources are used according to their intended purposes and budget.
The MLC as a consortium of media associations advocating for professionalism in the way the media industry operates and as a watchdog to the three arms of government, is happy to lend its weight in support of the progressive work that the FIC under Director Mary Chirwa is doing.
By Enock Ngoma
Chairperson – Media Liaison Committee (MLC)
That is what is bewildering and bizarre, lungu is against FIC reports instead of being great full and supportive that tax payers money is being protected ???
Instead it’s like lungu and gang have been rambled and exposed
The reaction of Mr. Lungu and co proves that
1. He is a culprit of money laundering
2. He has close associates mentioned
3. His government is useless in the fight against corruption and he hates being exposed as such.
4. Finally, it shows that there is no hope for Zambia under this mafia government.
Next month when the African Confidential(AC) publishes an article about the K6.1 billion linked to money laundering activities based on FIC Trend Report, it will be PF and its cadres here who will be the first to discredit AC, and will blame the same on the opposition. That’s how low we have gone and our docility as Zambians. Even Dora thinks she can say what she thinks to wave off the tide of concerns raised by many of us, and yet at the same time she has no clue how FIC operates. And you are paying her your Tax money to mislead you, what a joke.
I am not surprised that Lungu is angry and unhappy about these revelations from FIC because, he’s part of the thieves in government. Like my friend Bishop John Mambo said; we Zambians are a docile society, how can we ignore the Fire Tender issues just like that? Who bought those vehicles and how much for including shipping costs up to Lusaka? Let’s move FIC, me mwandi l like your style of management. Spare NO ONE including the so-called elite and untouchables in mother Zambia, enough is enough!
For those fire trucks ,
$288, 000 each , add shipping and delivery to Zambia another $10,000 max , total $298,000 by 42 = $12,516,000.
We got charged $42 million by lungu and his gang.
Each truck costs $288,000 that is why they could only be insured for $250 k but Zambia was charged $1million for each truck.
I am still trying to figure out why thieving Zambians want to get rich by ANY MEANS within their REACH!! Will you sleep easy knowing a hospital somewhere has less than what that cash would have provided? That another family has been robbed of a livelihood because the employer you have deprived cannot pay them. Guys – have a heart. Ni cinji kansi abale wanga!?
Poverty will increase in direct proportion to abuse of public resources. If you are serious bout the fight against poverty, then fight corruption, fight fraud, fight theft-by-servant, fight tax evasion, fight money laundering, fight terrorism financing, fight impunity. Like HH said, with Six Billion ZKW, the country would liquidator all internal debts.
I’m sure in a modern and decent democracy is held high actions would have been taken by now on those culprits mentioned in the FIC. The responses from the executive and DEC are cant be acceptable. Instead the FIC is being fought and this unacceptable
Ala mwandi tiza gwiliwa
I always don’t get when people pretend to be surprised that Lungu hates anything that is seen to genuinely try to expose corruption in his government. People Lungu is the chief architect of corruption and corrupt #1. So why would you be surprised. We as a people just need to unite this corruption cancer and Lungu and his minions. Let’s start by naming him a thief without skirting around the obvious.
“Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later, that debt is paid.” (Chernobyl 2019).