Alliance for Development and Democracy president Charles Milupi says President Edgar Lungu’s directive to the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) to arrest people who brand his government as corrupt without evidence suggests that he is also involved in the vice.

During a swearing-in ceremony of the ACC board of Commissioners, Thursday, President Lungu said it was unfair that detractors had branded him corrupt without evidence and called upon the ACC arrest whistleblowers with false information.

But in an interview, Milupi said the Head of States’ statement showed where his energies were.

“The President is in charge of the Executive he is in charge of the Police, for him to say that anyone who talks about corruption must be arrested shows where his energies are directed. Anybody who is involved in corruption should not be arrested but anyone who talks about it must be arrested? That is clear sign that he himself is exposed to this vice,” Milupi said.

He said anyone who turned a blind eye to the corruption fight was probably corrupt.

“Anybody who defends corruption or anybody who turns a blind eye to corruption is themselves corrupt. There is nobody who himself is corrupt who would defend corruption or will turn a blind eye to rampant corruption that is rampant in Zambia to today. What evidence does he require? If Anti Corruption Commission has arrested and DEC has arrested Ministers, officials, civil servants that have gone through the courts of law? They Auditor General’s report alludes to what goes on in the abuse of public resources. The FIC report alludes to people with political exposure. Those are leaders, those are ministers, now what other evidence does he want beyond that?” Milupi asked.

“But if he wants evidence beyond that, look at the public procurement of things clearly that everybody can’t know that they were over priced. The fire tenders, the Lusaka-Ndola road the ambulances and many other things were no suitable explanation has been given were people have said these things is not worth that much. Look at the roads that are being constructed, many of them are beginning to fail even before we pay the money back.”

He also observed that the Cabinet reshuffle was not meant to fight corruption.

“Those who have paid corruption money are all also involved in what we call technical theft. That reshuffle (Cabinet Reshuffle) was not meant to fight corruption that reshuffle is moving the same people from place to place if you look at it only one Minister was dropped,” said Milupi.