Civil Rights activist Brenner Changala has asked Vice-President Inonge Wina and others criticising the Financial Intelligence Centre to shut up and consult the Attorney General, who was guest of honor at the launch of the 2017 Trends Report, if they are aggrieved.

In an interview with News Diggers! Changala asked Vice-President Wina, Chief Government Spokesperson Dora Siliya and everyone else aggrieved by the alleged unauthorised release of the FIC Trends Report to engage Attorney General Likando Kalaluka since he, in his capacity as the government’s chief legal advisor, officiated at the launch of the controversial report last month.

He argued that Kalaluka’s presence at the launch meant that government had approved of it.

“Who stood by Mary Tshuma when she launched that report at Radisson Blu Hotel? It was the Attorney General, that’s the legal advisor to government. So, who is Dora Siliya? Which law school did she go to with the Vice-President? They must drag the Attorney General in this debate because legally, the Attorney General allowed Mary Tshuma and the Board to release that report. But we are having the FIC being hammered left, right and centre by senior government officials when the Attorney General is the one who allowed that launch to go ahead. So, the Government Spokesperson, Dora Siliya, the Vice-President, Madam Inonge Wina and the PF media team are all insulting the Attorney General. They have placed the competency of the Attorney General under query because when the report of Financial Intelligence Centre was being released, it was cleared by the Attorney General by the very fact that he witnessed the launch of that report,” Changala argued.

“And for them to turn round when they don’t even know a single sentence in law, to go and start attacking the Attorney General, who is by law the legal advisor to the government, they have placed the Attorney General in a very awkward situation because he cleared that document, which means what the Board at FIC was doing was very correct otherwise, he could have stopped that report there and then when he witnessed the launch.”

Changala said the Vice-President and everyone else in the PF government to direct their tantrums towards the Attorney General.

“My call is for the Vice-President to shut up and consult the Attorney General and to leave madam Tshuma and the entire FIC Board clear of any nonsense that they want to place on them. The Attorney General is extremely competent and his advice must be taken seriously at all times. And in this case, by virtue of his presence at the launch of that document, it was cleared. So, if they have to throw any tantrums, let them direct it at the Attorney General. The Vice-President, Dora Siliya, Sunday Chanda, that Antonio Mwanza and every aggrieved person in PF must walk towards the Attorney General’s office and seek guidance and leave madam Tshuma and her board free of this nonsense that is going on! That document was cleared by the government itself through a competent Attorney General, so let us remove the pressure from that poor woman,” Changala appealed.

And Changala thanked British High Commissioner Fergus Cochrane-Dyet for airing his concerns on corruption in Zambia.

“This current government that we have doesn’t want to hear the truth. But what is important is to say, ‘congratulations to the British High Commissioner.’…the message has been delivered. He spoke for many people because a lot of people, I say, ‘congratulations! Because that message was delivered. The FIC Report is a document that has helped us to uncover a lot of dirt that has been swept under the carpet. This government wants to take that report in secrecy to DEC, which is sick, to ACC, which is moribund, and to the police, which is nothing but a state militia that has come to terrorize the citizens. None of these organisations would have done what madam Tshuma and the Financial Intelligence Centre have done,” said Changala.

“We have given FIC thumbs up, for us that is an honour what FIC did, and it was well-supported by one of our biggest donors, the British government and the European Union and for them I tell them, please don’t stop. I know the government will try to frustrate you through threats, but we are with you, we support your work. Forget about what this government is saying. They got worried by a tweet, when they have looted the Treasury and they are saying they are speaking on our behalf. Those who speak on our behalf and love us cannot steal from us, but because the PF don’t love us they are stealing everything from us.”