By Jack Nyoni
By now, few Zambians will not have heard of Lusaka-based businessman Valden Findlay. He has been in and out of the news for many years, accused of being a drug baron by many, including, Kaweche Kaunda, the son of the first President Dr. Kenneth Kaunda, and more recently, by National Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili.
The latter has claimed that during U.S. court proceedings against drug lord Vicky Goswami, who was extradited to the United States to stand trial. he was said to be in business with Findlay, with whom he had reportedly taken total control of the Sub-Saharan Mandrax business.
Wherever the truth lies, one thing is clear, that he has a substantial, unethical and unhealthy influence over President Lungu.
Findlay is not an elected official, accountable to the people, nor a paid civil servant, who is accountable to the system. He plays outside the system and uses his spuriously obtained means to exert undue influence on Zambia and its people.
In normal times, this would be bad enough, but with the Coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc with our economy we need our government focusing on the needs of the people and not special interests.
The businessman frequently joins the President in meetings and foreign jaunts, costing the taxpayers untold costs, even though his private jet is reportedly bigger, more luxurious and expensive than the presidential plane.
If only a small part of the tales of drugs and gun-running about Findlay were true it should be enough to ensure that he has zero access to State House.
President Lungu has elections next year and before the Coronavirus reached us the economy was not going in a positive direction. The crisis created by the Coronavirus will hurt incumbents across the world and the President and his team have to go into overdrive if they stand any chance of reelection.
They must be supremely focused and get rid of all the chaff.
Findlay is an albatross around the neck of President Lungu and every time he is seen with the head of state Zambians have more and more questions that they will answer at the ballot box.
President Lungu must make an example of Findlay and excise him from public life and demonstrate that he no longer has any influence, effect or impact on the Zambian Government.
Findlay may not be the sum total of Zambia’s problems, but he is highly symbolic of them. He is someone who does not deserve his position close to the President and has never shown once in his long and shadowy career that he has ever contributed to the betterment of the Zambian people.
Some people in his position have a disguise that they do civic or charitable work that helps those in need. Not Findlay, he is so brazen that he never even considers the needs of the people and our country.
President Lungu should demonstrate that he is the man to continue leading the people, and he can start by showing Findlay the door and allow the criminal investigators to look into his past and present, and tell us finally what is true and what is not.
Then he can feel the full force of the law rather than the full protection of the state.
Findlay again??? That is stinking garbage, you are being back to State house. We thought we threw him away in trash together with Kaizer Zulu.
This is why the other day Nine chale ,said zambians are very good in complaining about political not economical matters,why focus on a hardworkin private individual ? who does not even hold any public office.kz come back soon
But he is not alone.
Crooks will always be together but just for a little while.
Edgar Lungu will be dusted as soon as he leaves the presidency.
Lungu is as rotten as the come.
Just when Miles Sampa was making progress with Chinese behaviour, this thief Lungu told him to stay in his lane.
Sad days.
Lungu stood by watching as his thugs gassed our people and irate mobs butchered innocents suspected of the same gassings.
Only when foreigne diplomats warned lungu did he stop his thugs gassing our people
Valden Finley is lungus money launderer and Banker.
If you want to find lungus stolen loot , squeez valden Finley and get international financial crime investigative units on him , you find the millions lungu has stolen.
those who know the methods of U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) methods of investigating country level financial crimes Will tell you that investigating all bussiness transactions of the findley umberlla companies since lungu came to power will reveal the extent Zambia has been looted, and lungus finger prints will be found all over the place……
Edgar Al Capone Lungu is a crime syndicate boss who oversees the looting of the Zambian economy and resources. So I’m not surprised that he hangs out with some shady, questionable individuals. Heck he is one of them. He calls the shots in this crime syndicate called PF. Even some of his diehard PF supporters are waking up now, and realizing that Lungu doesn’t care about them, but only exists in State House to serve his own interests and the interests of his masters, the Chinese. See how his corrupt administration promptly sided with the Chinese over the enslaved Zambians, locked up in Chinese factories? If that didn’t wake you up to see whose side this mob boss is, then you’re the biggest fooool in Africa.
Valden will soon see that his association with lungu will be his eventual downfall.
Valden will have to flee into forigne asylum, even that will not help.
He will have to tell all.
He might have genuine bussiness contacts with lungu , but the levels of debt and despaire that lungu has plunged Zambia into will render Zambians very unforgiving and all out for vengeance against perceived looters ……. and findley will find himself right there, in the thick of it.
From Hong Kong, soon we will become Zam Kong. China’s parliament has backed a new security law for Hong Kong which would make it a crime to undermine Beijing’s authority in the territory.
The bill – which now passes to China’s senior leadership – has caused deep concern among those who say it could end Hong Kong’s unique status.
It could also see China installing its own security agencies in the region for the first time.
The move has already sparked a new wave of anti-mainland protest.
Clashes broke out on Wednesday as Hong Kong’s parliament debated a different proposed law, which would make it a crime to disrespect the Chinese national anthem. Hundreds of people were arrested in protests over that and the security law.
Security remains high on Thursday, as a tense debate in…
You vote PF 2021 n I will happily call you a sick puppy.
People like to make unsubstantiated accusations which is a crime in itself. So the President can’t have friends except those in government? Findlay is a free man, a Zambian who has never been convicted of any crime. He has a right to associate with anyone including the president just like you. You are also free to have access to the president.
The president can’t rule based on rumours. He also has access to information that you don’t have access to. Prove to the law enforcement agencies that Findlay has committed all these crimes you are accusing him of.
Again you choke with envy while we continue amassing wealth. I know you like to say PF is corrupt but you have no evidence. And even if we pocket 10% of the proceeds, so what? We have earned the right to. There are privileges that…