The Patriotic Front says rather than attack President Edgar Lungu and the ruling party whenever investigative wings like the Financial Intelligence Centre publish their reports, Zambians must commend the Head of State for his unmatched political will in the fight against corruption.

On Friday, the FIC published their 2018 Trends report which indicated that Zambia lost K6.1 billion to financial crimes ranging from corruption to tax evasion, which was a 33 per cent increment from the K4.5 billion lost in 2017.

In a statement, Monday, PF media director Sunday Chanda said the ruling party had noted with great concern some malicious attacks directed at President Lungu.

“The ruling Patriotic Front (PF) has noted with concern malicious attacks by some sections of society targeted President Edgar Chagwa Lungu whenever investigative wings make public pronouncements on their findings. We also are aware of a deliberate ploy by some to paint the PF Government and the ruling Party as corrupt by any standard without looking at the great strides made in protecting the public’s resources. We wish to state that President Lungu must be commended for allowing these investigative agencies to operate without any undue influence whatsoever,” Chanda stated.

He asked Zambians to appreciate President Lungu’s unmatched political will to fight corruption.

“Furthermore, in order to properly appreciate the President’s magnanimity in the crusade against corruption, we wish to State as follows: 1. President Lungu has demonstrated unparalleled political will in the fight against corruption – looking at the number of reforms and independence granted to law enforcement agencies, 2. Reports such as FIC Reports which are raw data in nature are shared regularly, and as a matter of course, with institutions such as Zambia Revenue Authority (ZRA) Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Drug Enforcement Commission (DEC) Zambia Police Service ( ZP) etc, 3. The purpose for sharing the raw data with the above institutions is to get the agencies work on any allegations. In light of the foregoing, any attempts to drag the President into these matters are a deliberate ploy by those who seek to misrepresent what we stand for. As opposed to maligning the Head of State in this regard, Zambians of good judgment must commend the President for allowing institutions to operate within the confines of the law,” stated Chanda.