UPND president Hakainde Hichilema says only the corrupt are complaining about the Financial Intelligence Centre 2017 trends report.

And Hichilema has referred to Lands Minister Jean Kapata as “Mr Mukula Tree”.

Meanwhile, Hichilema says he only needs 30 days in office to end all the nonsense of political violence.

At a press conference, Thursday, Hichilema announced that the party would notify the police of its intention to hold peaceful demonstrations against attacks on FIC.

He said according to his investigations, the FIC submitted their report to law enforcement agencies three months before publishing it, contrary to claims by PF officials.

“We 100 percent support the Financial Intelligence Centre because they are doing a good job. Only the corrupt will be against the Financial Intelligence Centre. Since PF are against it, it works and concludes that they are corrupt. The FIC and the board, under very difficult conditions have unearthed corruption in here. We are not complaining as UPND and only the corrupt are complaining,” Hichilema said.

“Like violence, the PF are the breeders of corruption, they are the beneficiaries of corruption. There is a lie PF are using that the FIC must first present their report to law enforcement agencies before they release the report to the public and hence the call to remove them honestly will that be a good reason to remove them? Does that change the content of the report? Does that change the corruption that is in here? It doesn’t. The facts remain facts that PF and their surrogates are stealing too much money from us.”

He charged that loans which government was contracting was being used to build mansions for corrupt public officers.

“How can someone normal sell NRDC? How can someone normal sell Hebert Young? Jacaranda a primary school with so much heritage where a number of pupils went to that school. How can a pupil seated in a classroom feel when he hears that the classroom in which you are seated in has been sold? By who? By the people you put in government in exchange with loans. Where has the money gone for loans? Has it been invested in agriculture? No. Has it been invested in electricity so that you generate more power so that you can actually have lower tariffs? No. Where has it gone? It has gone to buy properties in Dubai through the politicians you put in place. And when the FIC put that there is corruption; remove them, arrest them.”

Hichilema wondered what had become of young people like PF media director Antonio Mwanza and YALI president Andrew Ntewewe.

“Young Antonio Mwanza, what has happened to you? Ntewewe, you are supposed to be a civil society man, what has happened to you? Dora Siliya, for her, she is used to graft. Have you forgotten the Zamtel saga?” Hichilema asked.

“They are calling for the blood of Mary Tshuma, the very people who are beneficiaries of corruption are calling for a noble organisation, your own creation to be removed. What have they done? They have institutionalised corruption now. They are using pressure to institutions of government to justify corruption and make corruption look normal. They will buy even members of the judiciary and police to brutalise Mary, the board and other staff, to make them look bad when they are the ones who are bad. Let me indicate to you that our investigation shows that the Financial Intelligence Centre submitted this report to the law enforcement agencies in accordance to the law over three months ago. So that lie and the consequence arguments about that are invalid. This report was submitted over three months ago and the law enforcement agencies have done nothing.”

The opposition leader further asked the law enforcement agencies to commence prosecution against those cited in the report.

“I want to take you to the last page of this report on item number 9.1.4 says ‘the majority of cases disseminated to the law enforcement agencies in 2016 were on the similar grounds in 2017 similar grounds but no action has been taken by law enforcement agencies’. So why lie that the FIC did not report to the law enforcement agencies according to the law? Here is our proposal, the law enforcement agency as remedy should commence prosecution now. We call upon the law enforcement agencies to commence prosecution based on this report 2017 and the 2016 report now. Don’t wait for an executive order now because the executive will not give you that order, they are the ones who are stealing. How can a thief tell you that come and prosecute me? They will frighten you off,” he said.

“I am calling this unity to go beyond political lines. Genuine opposition parties must work together with the civil society, with the media, with students, with unions. The courts must do their bit, parliament must do its bit. Instead of summoning HH for calling someone a cadre there, do something. Use the parliamentary committees to summon those that are in the wrong. Let us enforce the rule of law. We can also go to court and that is why we are asking courts to act properly and that is not a crime. We can also nofity the police that we want to demonstrate over this corruption and I am asking the secretariat that today, I will write a notice of demonstration over the corruption as covered in the financial intelligence centre 2017 trends report. Let us notify the police and let us see what they are going to do. We are asking for a peaceful demonstration and at that demonstration we must all join hands. It is not a UPND demonstration, let us make Zambians aware of what is going on for them to reclaim their rights. Before I leave the secretariat today, I want to see that letter going to the police.”

Meanwhile, Hichilema referred to Kapata as “Mr Mukula Tree”.

“How can a normal human being celebrate that I am a winner when 40, 000 people could not exercise their right to vote simply because they were against you or they were afraid of losing their lives? How can you celebrate and go round flying tax-payers [money] in planes and saying I am popular. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that PF has lost popularity. Even members of PF who keep saying they are popular, you look at them in the face, only a small number that are eating stolen money. The Kaizer Zulus, the Dora Siliyas, the Kapatas, Mr Mukula Tree as she is called. Yes, that is her new terminology, look at the image she carries, she is Mr Mukula Tree,” he said.

Meanwhile, Hichilema said he only needed 30 days in office to end all the nonsense of political violence.

“I want to assure you Zambians that when our time in office comes, we will provide leadership and this thing of violence will come to an end, 30 days is all we will need to end this nonsense,” he said.

And Hichilema insisted that he had no problems meeting President Edgar Lungu if talks would be spearheaded by the church.

“They have now called for a summit of presidents, what do you want me to go and do there? To stir blood from Chilanga in that cup of tea and put sugar? Not me. Absolutely not any other genuine leader calling themselves presidents for a genuine party like UPND. You want to go and have another workshop there with ZCID. We are happy when the dialogue leadership is handed over to the church, we are happy to meet anyone including Mr Lungu in order to find solutions to the challenges of our country is facing including violence,” said Hichilema.