Opposition United Prosperous and Peaceful Zambia (UPPZ) has urged President Edgar Chagwa Lungu to show leadership on the plunder of resources that have been cited in the Financial Intelligence Centre’s Report as this is likely to  tarnish the country’s relationship with a number of financial institutions such as the IMF International Monetary Fund(IMF) .
Speaking to Kwacha Celebrity Newspaper in an interview, UPPZ Spokesperson Francis Kope called for measures to be put in place so that individuals that have been cited in plunder of national resources are dealt with severely.
“We need to come up with elements on how people that are plundering public resources are going to be dealt with… people who are stealing in the name of contracts and corruption so that the economy can be brought back on track. We have observed that there have been a lot of stories that have come forth with the aim of diverting attention from the main issues that are hurting the economy,” Mr. Kope observe.
He said there is serious need to look at the financial flows that have been cited in the FIC Report, regretting that there is a lot of plunder that is going on in the country.
“It is unfortunate that FIC has become an enemy of the state. Look at the response from the President, the response from people like Andrew Ntewewe(Young African Initiative president) discrediting a Government institution which was created as a result of an Act of Parliament. What kind of lawlessness is that? How does one go flat out attacking a Government institution such as FIC which is doing the work that is in the interest of the credibility of a strengthened governance system of the country?,” he asked
Mr Kope observed that FIC is raising a bar in as far as fighting against corruption is concerned.
“…But if we are seen trivializing everything FIC has brought out, then we will be seen as a country that is not serious about fighting corruption, Money laundering and Terrorism,” the former CBC TV Journalist  said.
Mr. Kope added that President Lungu and everyone in the PF should be worried with reports that some monies was used to finance Terrorism attacks coming from Zambia.
“We should now be concerned on how we can enhance and empower the FIC as opposed to what we hear the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Services Dora Siliya and her Permanent secretary Chanda Kasolo are saying of changing the law, it is shocking,” Mr. Kope wondered.
He called on the Zambian people to support the FIC.
“Let us support the FIC. If you remember, during the Levy Patrick Mwanawasa regime, when he (President Mwanawasa) was at the centre of fighting corruption, his stance won us credibility up to reaching highly indebted Poor Countries Completion Point (HIPICC) where our debt was forgiven. These people who borrow us money saw that we were willing to fight corruption and enhancing institutions like the DEC, ACC, Police the Courts and so on. We need to be seen to be fighting these vices as opposed to wanting what suits us and change the law for the will of those benefiting from it. There is no need to attack the FIC bosses,” he noted
And Mr. Kope has rubbished the  statement coming from “the guilty” that one cannot bank amounts to more than five thousand US dollars as they risk being cited in the Financial Intelligence Report.
“It is a lie that one can be a suspect in the FIC report if they have colossal amounts of money in the bank. The people who are appearing are those people who are doing illicit transactions, money that does not have a clear source, money that is financing terrorism and money laundering. People that,” Mr Kope said, “That is the propaganda that has been coming from the PF. People are now scared of banking their Money. The FIC is only doing its work on these politicians who have taken advantage of their positions to plunder the resources of this country.”
The UPPZ Spokesperson has since appealed to all citizens to continue putting their money in banks as they have every right to make their monies grow.