NDC leader Chishimba Kambwili says nobody will allow President Edgar Lungu to manipulate the Act of parliament which established the existence of the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC).

On Wednesday when he returned from the Copperbelt, president Lungu told journalists that the Financial Intelligence Centre was not helping the country by spreading gossip about unverified financial trends reports.

But commenting on the matter in an interview, Kambwili said his NDC administration would reinstate the Act even if President Lungu changes it before sending him to prison.

“He’s saying that the FIC report is speculation, but you and I know that for purposes of reporting, they don’t mention names. But the FIC have got the actual names. So if Lungu wants to know who among his ministers are mentioned are mentioned in the FIC, it’s a question of just calling Mrs Chirwa and she will give him the names. But because this man is full of protecting thieves working in his government, he can’t do anything because he’s also part of the corruption. He has no ability and he has no intention to fight corruption. So even Lungu is scared of talking about corruption because he’s corrupt himself. So he can’t trust in the FIC report,” Kamwbili said.

“And this idea of getting emotional when people ask you what’s going on, that’s an insult to the people. I hope and trust that he was not drunk because knowing our colleague maybe he was drinking on the plane, that’s why he behaved like that. You have to exhibit the presidency in you, not the way he reacted yesterday. For him to be saying that there are no names mentioned, it’s like telling the people of Zambia that they don’t think. That’s an intelligence report that has reached his office before it’s taken to the law enforcement and he knows the names. So why does he always have to pretend to the nation?”

Asked if he supported the move to revive the FIC Act, Kambwili responded in the negative.

“Who is going to allow him to change the FIC Act? Nobody will allow him. You see what happened with Rupiah Banda? He removed the abuse of authority clause from the law. But immediately President Sata came into power, he reinstated it. So if he removes the law that FIC uses, we will reinstate it in 2021 and arrest him. It’s as simple as that, you think ba Lungu niba Lesa (you think Lungu is God)? Lesafye eka eushalubile, eushapanga nensambi (it’s only God who is all-knowing and cannot commit sin). Any other person can sin. The problem with Zambians is that you want to be scared of a President as if he’s God. Those are just people like us and when they are wrong, we can just tell them that mwana apo nauluba niwe pompwe (chap here you are wrong, you are a thief)!” he said.

Meanwhile, Kambwili said President Lungu was using crookedness to continue running KCM so that he could continue stealing the proceeds of the company.

“Where I come from, they say “munshebwa aile namashinshya kubuko”. What President Lungu is exhibiting is tantamount to being a munshebwa, because when colleagues advise you, you need to take the advise seriously. I wrote him a letter telling him that ‘the liquidation of KCM will backfire on you because it is wrong’. By law, when you liquidate a company, it simply means you are winding up a company, that’s the end of the company,” said Kambwili.

“What law is supporting Lungu to run a company that is under liquidation? There is no law. So I wrote to him in earnest [but] he went to the Airport in Ndola and [he starts saying] ‘hey, you are writing to me… we are going ahead’… go ahead [but] tukesa kukaka (we’ll come and arrest when we come in power) because this country is not lawlessness and when you are President, it does not mean you have got the absolute power to do whatever you want. So this issue of KCM Mr President if you have ears hear, I am warning you because when I take over, you will go to Chimbokaila. You can’t run the country like an extension of your bedroom, it doesn’t work out that way.”