NATIONAL Democratic Congress (NDC) leader Chishimba Kambwili has charged that State House directed the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP) Lillian Siyunyi to reduce the charge against Eastern Province PF youth chairperson Emmanuel J Banda from aggravated robbery to aggravated assault.

And Kambwili says Archbishop of Lusaka Alick Banda should resign because he has destroyed the Catholic Church.

Meanwhile, Kambwili says money being channelled to the Presidential Empowerment Fund is from a suspicious source.

In an interview, Kambwili said President Edgar Lungu, Siyunyi and the Inspector General of Police Kakoma Kanganja must resign on moral grounds.

“President Edgar Lungu must resign on moral grounds, Director of Public Prosecution must resign on moral grounds. Kanganja must resign on moral grounds. Why do I say so? This country has become a Banana Republic. How can the police arrest somebody who was being wanted for aggravated robbery for over a month. Some body who was in hiding for over a month on the charge of aggravated robbery, Jay Jay Banda, they arrest him, within 10 minutes…first they reduce the charge to aggravated assault. It is the police who told us that this man went with a gun and some people with weapons, beat up a police man and got away with some money and goods from the police station. And the law is very clear that anybody who gets away with somebody’s property with a weapon like a gun is aggravated robbery. When you steal something, it is aggravated robbery it cannot be aggravated assault,” Kambwili said.

“Even when you assault a police officer I have seen a lot of people are never given police bonds. What is so special about Jay Jay? State House is involved. State House directed the DPP to reduce the charge and directed the police to give him a police bond and asked him to go and do an illegal procession. This is why I am saying I think this country has gone to the dogs or maybe the dogs have come to the country. This is what they charged (Obvious) Mwaliteta for and he spent one year in jail. What we are seeing now is when ministers are arrested, or PF cadres, they are immediately given police bonds. I have suffered at the hands of Kanganja and the PF government when I have been arrested nine times in the last four years and none of them have ever been given police bonds.”

Kambwili said it was clear the case wasn’t going anywhere.

“Automatically, we have seen that this case is not going anywhere by the virtue of the fact that it has been reduced to just assault. Secondly, the man who was running away from the police…it was only three weeks ago they arrested (James) Lukuku on the misdemeanor case of the defamation of the president. The man was arrested on Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday that is when he was released. But here is a man an aggravated criminal…no no can we do the right thing,” Kambwili said.

“We have stooped so low as a country. I have never seen such a president in the history of this country. If President Lungu is really a president worth his salt, this is where he should show his leadership by telling the police to charge that man with an appropriate charge.”

And Kambwili said Archbishop Banda must not reduce the Catholic Church to beggars.

“The other day, I was watching the installation of the Catholic Bishop in Ndola, and one Catholic Priest stands up to say ‘well done Mr President you have given us a lot of money for project’ do you ask where that money comes from? God does not get happy for money donated which has suspicious origins. Now if a bishop of Catholic church can be happy to receive money without finding out where the money is coming from, where are we going as a country? Let me say this I am very disappointed with the Archbishop of Lusaka because the catholic bishops we knew…The Catholic church has its own members who give money for projects and we want the Catholic church to remain like that. Those Bishops who want Lungu to be helping them, let them go and form their own church and leave the Catholic church. We all know that there is corruption in this country and we are not just going to be receiving money anyhow without even knowing the source. It is very disheartening as a catholic I almost melted,” said Kambwili.

“That is why they can’t talk about these issues of corruption, some of the Catholic Bishops like Alick Banda, I have never heard him condemn, we have a lot of catholic Bishops that are upright like Bishop George Lungu and other bishops, Telesphore Mpundu and you heard the new Bishop even said ‘if you make mistakes, we are going to criticize you’. But in particular, Archbishop Banda does not criticize the government, now we have known it’s because he has been given so much money to do projects by President Lungu. What a shame of a catholic church!”

Meanwhile, Kambwili said there was money laundering involved in the Presidential Empowerment Fund.

“This boy, Presidential Empowerment coordinator (Clement Tembo) he moved with a ZAF plane and ZAF officers were saluting for him. This Presidential empowerment has nothing to do with government, the money is not from the budget, this money is not even explained where it’s coming from. As far as I am concerned, there is a lot of money laundering involved in that empowerment fund. Because the amount of money that is put in there without explaining where it’s coming from and who is funding it leaves room for everybody to say that this fund is all about money laundering. But all the people are quiet,” said Kambwili.