By Isaac Mwanza
When Zambia enacted the law to create the Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) in 2010, Government recognised and does still recognise the Centre as an essential vehicle in combating money laundering and promoting national security through receiving, requesting, analysing and disseminating suspicious financial transactions. So what has gone wrong now, that the nation is getting divided each time the FIC releases what it calls “Trends Reports”?
Best Practices from Western Countries
Firstly, it’s worth appreciating that a good number of countries around the globe have established Financial Intelligence centres as functional limbs of the Executive arm of government. The US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury whose periodic data analysis is published as Suspicious Activity Reports Statistics, which is essentially an Excel spreadsheet with multiple tabs.
Also, the UK Financial Intelligence Unit (UKFIU) receives, analyses and distributes financial intelligence gathered from Suspicious Activity Reports (SARs). Nearly all of the SARs data is shared with UK law enforcement through a secure channel, enabling visibility of over two million SARs that can be used to deliver impact against crime threats.
Why is there uproar in Zambia over the FIC reports?
The current uproar in Zambia as regards the FIC reports is, in the main, not only centred on lack of clarity in the law on how the FIC Trends reports must be disseminated and to whom, but also the type of information being published and the massive detail which, with subtlety, connect State institutions and individuals to wrongdoing (corruption, money laundering, and tax evasion) without according these institutions and individuals any right whatsoever to respond.
Where is the wrong in the manner FIC disseminates its data?
Firstly, an examination of best practices from both the US and Britain show that financial intelligence entities in those countries do not publish the information to the public that would, in the minds of the American and British public, connect State institutions or their political leadership (whether under investigation or not), to these reports. Those foreign centres are still able to disseminate information to the public without being suggestive as to who is alleged to have done or not done what wrong.
Secondly, these financial intelligence units are custodians of raw data. What do we mean when we say raw data? Intelligence practitioners use the term “raw data” as a common sense category, as a description of information they want or have gained access to, in the same manner FIC gains access to banking records of citizens, that is, by receiving this information from the financial institutions as mandated by law.
The principle concept to understand in financial intelligence analysis is that analysts try to understand a financial world they cannot see by patching together a mass of data from various sources. This data can vary greatly in reliability, completeness, and bias. One must therefore not wonder that the Drug Enforcement Commissioner, Ms. Alita Mbahwe, said this about the FIC reports:
“…the intelligence reports disseminated [by FIC] to law enforcement agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Commission sometimes turn out to be false on enquiry leading to closure of cases, a situation which is always misconstrued as inaction by investigative wings.”
To be clear, raw intelligence is raw data gathered by an intelligence operation, such as the data we have seen published in the Trends Reports by the FIC. As a matter of intelligence practice, such data require processing and analysis to make it useful and reliable. To turn the raw intelligence into a finished form, the steps required may include decryption, translation, collation, evaluation and confirmation.
In the United States of America, the Central Intelligence Agency was created to collate, analyse and summarise the raw intelligence collected by the other departments while in Zambia that duty is reserved for law enforcement agencies. US agencies which focus on the collection of raw intelligence include the National Reconnaissance Office and the National Security Agency and the CIA itself collects human intelligence – essentially a whole lot of stories from people.
When Zambia’s lawmakers enacted the law to provide for FIC, they understood that raw data on its own is useless until it is made useful by law enforcement agencies, the courts, and the policy makers. The process of putting data to good use begins with its acquisition of data to interpretation of this data by other institutions or experts interpret so it can become information. None of this actually matters for purposes of a decision yet, it’s just more refined than raw data.
Once a significant amount of information is organised by FIC or indeed any other intelligence body, it is then that these institutions arrive at knowledge of what is really is happening. Combining this with a much bigger part of the story, institutions like FIC do, at that point, shape up what is called an intelligence assessment. Ordinarily, data in its raw format is become increasingly refined by intelligence analysts who come together to see a picture form. That is not an investigation but intelligence assessment.
The Zambian law is quite clear at this point. The function of FIC as provided in Section 5(2)(a) would be ‘to make a suspicious transaction report and determining whether there are reasonable grounds to transmit reports for investigation by law enforcement agencies or foreign designated authorities.’ Further, Section 5(2)(b) categorically states that the FIC “shall disseminate information to law enforcement agencies where there are reasonable grounds to suspect money laundering or financing of terrorism or proliferation.”
It is clear that while Zambia’s financial intelligence Centre can make an intelligence assessment that reasonable grounds exist to suspect money laundering or financing of terrorism or proliferation, this task does not extend to further carrying out the necessary investigation to establish criminality or otherwise; the law does not permit or authorise the FIC to undertake investigations. Rather, the FIC is under a legal obligation, stipulated by the Financial Intelligence Centre Act itself, to hand over their suspicious activity report, to law enforcement agencies.
But what obligation does the FIC have to the public? Does such an obligation include giving details to the public on matters which are under investigation by law enforcement agencies?
The FIC has an obligation to the public as stated in Section 5(2)(e), that is, “to educate the public and reporting entities of their obligations and inform them of measures to detect, prevent and deter money laundering and financing of terrorism or proliferation.” It should be abundantly clear, therefore, that the FIC does not have the mandate to make public its Suspicious Activity Reports, not even when names of the persons or entities under suspicion, are removed and replaced with X or whatever wannabe identities they choose to use.
The presumption of innocence, as guaranteed and enshrined in our Constitution, comes into operation here: the fact that a person, either natural or corporate, receives or sends a large amount of money, does not constitute a crime even if the person does not ordinarily receive or send! Such large amounts of money may be a matter of routine or convenient business practice.
As a matter of fact, it is this unusual activity which the FIC is mandated to look out for, but once it is detected, the FIC is by law required to pass the information on to law enforcement agencies who have the power to investigate and, where appropriate, to prosecute any person suspected to be engaged in illegal financial activities.
In sum, the FIC is not obliged to disseminate to the public, any of the information which it collects because such information is of a preliminary nature and affects persons who are protected by or under the constitutional presumption of innocence. The fact that no names are mentioned, is immaterial; the law clearly stipulates to whom such information is to be made available, and it does not include the public.
On the other hand, when such information leads to action by the law enforcement agencies, such as an arrest and possible prosecution, the law enforcement agencies are empowered, at the point of arrest, to publicly name the culprit and state the charge(s) against such a person.
Does Zambia need to reform the FIC?
The answer is that Parliament must, as a matter of urgency, reform the FIC by amending the Act that establishes the FIC.
As stated earlier, the US Financial Crimes Network is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury. It would not hurt to make the FIC a specialised department, either under the direct oversight of the Treasury or the Drug Enforcement Commission which will soon be changing its name to the Anti-Narcotics, Economic and Financial Crimes Agency (ANEFA) or better still as a Financial Unit under the Zambia Security Intelligence Services (ZSIS).
The advantage is that, by placing it under the DEC which is responsible for investigation of crimes related to money laundering and part of the National Intelligence Centre, its reports will be handled carefully to avoid jeopardising any investigations by any law enforcement agency through disclosure of details.
The disclosure of details by FIC, in whatever form, does easily alert sophisticated wrongdoers who may then take steps to destroy evidence, or to hide their actions or to flee the country, thereby defeating the ends of justice, as noted by the Commissioner of the Drug Enforcement Commission in her statement on this issue.
Secondly, the reports published by FIC are – without any recourse to aggrieved entities – lowering the standing of individuals who do not have the opportunity to howsoever explain themselves before their details, in whatever form, find themselves around social media blogs where shrewd individuals with scores to settle, begin to put names of real people to these reports on pure speculation.
The FIC Trends reports are also gravely putting State institutions in bad light to the world at large. This was not the essence of creating the FIC, to have a government wing put other State institutions on their defence for no reason at all.
The most useful part of the FIC Trends Report – no doubt – is its ability to excite the public and as a weapon for eroding public trust and confidence in their Government and its elected leaders. For some diplomats, this may soon become a tool to justify the withholding of developmental support to the current administration and ushering a puppet administration.
The FIC Trends report is also a useful tool for any person or entity or groups of persons or entities, usually in the political realm, to score points against their opponents by linking these FIC Trends Reports, to individual persons in the government, or to government officials or, more broadly, to the government itself. This is a gross abuse of FIC data, but we have already witnessed the damage that these speculative reports can do.
The Auditor General – in 2018 – made more reports to DEC (45 reports) than FIC (which made 16) but it is the sensationalisation of the FIC report that attract the public eye because of its ability to create a negative narrative for the current regime and Government. If not handled with care, these reports will cause the public to lose confidence in the civil service – which is the engine which runs the Government. The reports, untested and unverified, will also increase voter discontent against their own Government with a very sad ending: revolts caused by a well-calculated scheme executed through a governmental body for the eventual downfall of the Government.
Article 88 (1) of the Constitution of Zambia reads,
“A citizen may petition the National Assembly to initiate the enactment, amendment or repeal of legislation.”
We need to amend the legislation that provide for the work of the FIC by placing it as a specialised agency under the DEC or a unit of the ZSIS.
CONCLUSION
The creation of the Financial Intelligence Centre was done in good faith and still has a role to play in our country’s quest to fight against financial crimes and terrorism. This noble task must be done in good faith where the Centre must be providing information, advice and assistance to law enforcement agencies in furtherance of an investigation by these agencies rather than publicly exposing its raw data which is subject to investigation by law enforcement agencies. The Centre was created as an arm of government, and not an adversary of Government or its institutions. It cannot also be used as a vehicle for spreading formalised gossip which only be useful for the political ends.
Disclaimer: The views in this article do not necessarily represent the views of this media nor the institutions the author is affiliated to or has membership on but represent the views of the author who is a governance and legal expert
Isaac Mwanza is too compromised to be listened to.
UPND cadres never appreciates intelligent discourse. You beaten them to them game Mwansa
I don’t like Issac Mwanza, if he continues with this styupid behavior I will finish him too, will be deleted in no time. Go reform your prostitutes, leave these hardworking women in Law Enforcement.
Look here we closed Heritage Party, we closed Green Party, we closed Rainbow Party and so many indivduals we delete them.
Issac leave Mary alone, there is nothing in common you have with Mary. She is beautiful and powerful.
Here comes UPND cadre @Nostradamus. He can’t zip his mouth????. U may not like Isac Mwanza but guy is damn intelligent unlike most dunderheads we see. Was going to appoint him Special Adv8sor to President if it was within my power
The time is now for Zambians to engage Interpol for these well organised crimes highlighted in the reports.
God bless Zambia.
w(dot)(dot)int/en/Contacts/Contact-INTERPOL
Absolutely no need to reform the FIC, reports of grand theft by Govt. officials would only gather dust at DEC offices if FIC did not release information to the public. DEC and other govt crime investigative agencies at present are state captured and rendered toothless to fight corruption. Zambia should resist the capture of FIC. The call to reform FIC is not necessary.
Waiting for insults from UPND cadres
If SARs data is shared with UK law enforcement through a secure channel, without sensationalising these reports, why does the UK High Commissioner, the only one among accredited High Commissioners sensationalise the FIC reports in Zambia? No wonder the conclusion is correct that the FIC report is useful only to achieve political ends. Most cadres here dont worry about wrong image potrayed by this report to outside world so long it aids their upnd dictator and British man to push ECL out of power
@Isaac Kanyo Mwanza:
What a true idyot you really are! You want to reform an impartial and credible public body to make it user friendly to thieves and criminals like you mother fckers! What nonsense is this.
It is daytime robbers and criminals like Lungu, Chipwetela, etc that need reform not FIC
He has basically written a whole lot of nothing just give you a run about it’s like catching a cab from Munali to KKi Airport and the taxi driver drives you around Chelston, Avondale and Meanwood to get the airport.
UK and US publish financial trends its widely available…these people are deliberately twisting facts so they public is completely out of the picture as they are blatantly stealing.That’s PF for you instead of tackling the issue of corruption they are brainstorming ways to prevent the messenger informing the public.
FIC only becomes anti-government only if/ when the same government doesn’t want to fight corruption
A good piece Isaac, but my problem is that you are comparing “Apples and Oranges” here. You cant compare Law enforcement agencies (LEA) in the US and UK, which are some what “independent” to our LEA, including DEA and ACC in Zambia, which are generally perceived to be under the Executive control or”state capture” as others put it. Probably that’s the reason why FIC (though unconstitutional, I may give you that) decides to release its reports, at least, to the public, because they know that when they send their reports to only the LEA, the reports are as good as dead or dead-on-arrival because these LEA will do nothing about their report, especially if it implicates a government or PF official (Chitotela is a outlier case with probably a lot of hidden knowlwdge) and they don’t get…
To your question Isaac ” Does Zambia need to reform the FIC?” The answer is NO. What Zambia needs is to reform its law enforcement agencies including DEA and ACC so that they are independent from the Executive of the government.. Right now DEA and ACC are inept.
Forget FIC for now, just bring culprits to book.
Ms. Mbahwe said and I quote, “…the intelligence reports disseminated [by FIC] to law enforcement agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Commission sometimes turn out to be false on enquiry leading to closure of cases, a situation which is always misconstrued as inaction by investigative wings.” End of quote.
This needs to be a division under ZSIS because above all else, the FIC also needs to be notified once those allegations are proven false so that they can improve their collection of raw data. It is called raw data for a reason but in Zambia some people tend to be overzealous for nothing.
Let’s roll … epo mpelele,
BRM
Great piece Isaac Mwanza.
You are truly a son of this land.
No wonder ECL is one of the greatest leader this country will ever produce.
ECL saw this one, no wonder he appeared nervers and agitated.
Your article is great and I only don’t agree with your view of attaching FIC to DEC. Allow FIC to be independent but submitting their report to the LEAs. The role of FIC to the public should be sensitization.
The only wrong they have made is releasing that report to us, the public. Wrong move. Once again, DEC and ECL were and are right afterall.
The FIC report is good for the president too so that he is enlightened of how his subordinates “could be behaving”.
If the current law allows the FIC to release data, so be it, whether in UK or US they do it the other way round. If the law has given them a mandate in those lines, what has changed now? The problem is that the MAIN MAN himself led the attack on this institution, so everyone including crooks like DORA are attacking it. Poor leadership! Everyone now has taken advantage, including crooks, in attacking the institution in order to protect their loot.
The guy is very intelligent, I must admit. He speaks with some form of authority. We may not like him but he great guy
Really laughable…you are not the sharpest tool in the kitchen drawer.
I agree with you Bernadetta
Wait for the insults from upnd membership. Ba UPND muli kwisa?
The UPND tribalists are now here!! spitting the vernom. u have beaten them! Data sana Isaac
We said , the Pom bees are out to silence FIC.
Only donner countries and the world banking network can now save FIC.
He is even suggesting putting FIC under DEC , a tool used by lungu to attack his political opponents and shield his gang.
The pombwees
I disagree to put FIC under DEC. It shud be put under ZSIS which is an equivalent mother intelligence wing. Just like the sobriety in Isaac Mwanza debating this matter unlike Lifwekelo
Juliet- are you serious? It’s just unbelievable how low these people can stoop…you really think a security intelligence wing like CIA has time to publish basic trend report…what wrong with you dull chaps being foooooled by these deceitful people.
Wake up!!!
This is more mature analysis than usual attacks we have seen attacking Mary Tshumba. Very objective, Zambians must begin to debate content and not individuals
It’s clear a lot of PF cadre lack reading culture.
It’s now Ms Mary Chriwa she divorced the useless Congolese Pastor.
FIC.
DEC.
& ACC are still politically inclusive.Its always true, if these institutions are not hauling from ruling political party “THEN” they are hauling from opposition parties.This is a dire problem these institutions are facing lacking of independence.
Kudos Mr.Mwanza article is giving out more points.
Don’t bite mo than what u can chew for now please concentrate on selling yr NDF recommendations.
What is there to sell about a pointless wasteful entity like NDF.
I dont like yali coz u so pro PF but I like yo objective analyses as individual; u gat no bitterness but saying things as they are. Forget the politics of insukts from these bloggers. U so different, mature
YALI already made its position clear this is to hoodwink the dull chaps even further with long articles of nothing…its a shame LAZ is quiet as their clients benefit the most from being intermediaries in these fraudulent transactions.
The CEO of FIC lacks intellectual capacity, she must be replaced with people with requisite experience and knowledge. It seems she values propaganda and gossip then disseminating information that will secure government’s financial position. What she is doing publishing reports without names is like going to a police station and saying “I know the car thieves and armed robbers but I won’t share that infirmation”.
So you think that the Director just wakes up and says let me published something about Amos Chanda this year…I give up **pulling my hair***too many ignorant chaps on this thread today.
See you chaps later!!
Imwe muziwelenga namwe! She is guided by the law and the provisions of her job description. That is why no one is talking about firing her but changing the law. Ushe kansi wene Zed na appetite for speculation and gossip munacosa kuti???
Chirwa refuted assertions that case studies in the FIC reports would jeopardies investigations as a myth. She said the success of her centre was dependent on the end result of law enforcement agencies and court processes.
“Case studies are there to literally just illustrate those issues and if you see we don’t mention names and this is an international standard of a strategic or trends report…it has to have case studies to illustrate what you have seen. So anyone who comes and says that they never received these reports, first and foremost it’s a lie because those are there, we disseminated them last year. Those who are saying this is an intelligence report, again it’s a lie because this is not an intelligence report,” Chirwa said adding,
“So for me, I do not understand where the…
When a society starts to support illegality and runs away from truth then you can understand lack of progress and stagnation
We voted in a crook and we are sowing the results!!
Well written article but very biased against the work of FIC. Mr Mwanza a suspicious transactions report is just that “a suspicious transactions report.” So far I have not seen any Zambian throwing a stone in protest over the findings of this so called “speculative report,” hence sir if it has raised your blood pressure then that would simply be admission that you or whoever are guilty. What is a democracy without information? An informed citizenry? It is such information that helps voters to make sound choices at the ballot. We need FIC to continue doing the commendable job they are doing so that only honest and clean people can remain in cabinet. No need to fight it. One Zambia, One Nation!
I too find article enlightening but I dont think putting FIC under DEC is a solution and good idea. What FIC and Govt needs to do is address some operational issues when it comes to amount of data they can release to public, avoiding suggestive data which compromises quality of investigation. This data is unnecessarily exciting some opposition parties who have no real issues to campaign to us as Zambians. Does one ever imagine how the 2021 FIC Trends Report will bring down PF regime? I think we need to vote based on merit and not sensationalised data like we reading the Post Newspapers matrix of corruption which turned out false
CONT’D
“So for me, I do not understand where the confusion is coming from and as it has been stated, we are a fully-funded government institution who are just carrying out our mandate for what the law and international standard experts us to do. I want to believe that we are in the same shoes, everybody just wants to work and don’t want to see to it that there is any confusion but there are certain points of departure that we need to clarify as people on the ground who are doing this work and have done this work for the past five years and have results to show for it. Look at ZRA, how many reports have we sent there and they have done good recoveries from there? So you can’t call this raw data…if there is a wing of government that has successfully used these reports. You need to look…
Mr Mwanza, your independence of mind is commendable. However, when you talk of presumption of innocence, how can people that got 6.1 billion be presumed to be innocent? Presumption of innocence is not for criminals. Even opposition leaders are daily arrested in Zambia and you still want to convince us others are presumed more innocent than others. Kambwili is in court because of your fellow crook Tayali. Did u stand up to defend his presumption of innocence right
Isaac Mwanza is the one who needs reform. Under normal circumstances like in USA Mr Mwanza would be absolutely correct but in our case (both ruling and opposion) where party cadres are king and corruption is endemic Mr Mwanza is absolutely wrong. So until Zambia normalises leave FIC and our beloved hardworking and courageous young lady Mary Chirwa alone.
Other comments
1. The position of Presidential Press Aide is currently vacant so we will see a lot of such nonsense from the likes of Isaac Mwanza as a way of lobbying and applying for the job.
2. Isaac Mwanza must be a trib.al, he has shown the full blown symptoms of a trib.al in this trib.al article.
For first time, am understanding why the confusion around FIC reports. Maybe, instead of putting FIC as a bureau like the US or under DEC, we should just change the reporting styles of FIC to avoid giving data exciting the opposition parties who always think its good for their campaigns
Just stop stealing and taking bribes!!
“Does The Financial Intelligence Centre Require Reforming?”
Not at all, Isaac Mwanza does.
….you trib.als, what is intelligent about trib.al Isaac Mwanza? Have you ever seen an intelligent trib.al?
Mwanza mentions U.K. and USA Financial Intelligence Units as reporting their findings to investigative wings
……the public in those countries have full confidence in their investigative bodies which are completely independent, unlike in Zambia where these investigative wings only wake up when proded by lungu.
We also know our investigative wings are used by PF to shackle anyone who is opposed to lungu.
I have seen the reports from the equivalent to FIC in the U.K. ,
and you are lying mwanza , the report is much not different from that FIC report except for a bit of jazzing up
He mentions U.K. and USA Financial Intelligence Units as reporting their findings to investigative wings
……the public in those countries have full confidence in their investigative bodies which are completely independent, unlike in Zambia where these investigative wings only wake up when proded by mr L
We also know our investigative wings are used by PF to shackle anyone who is opposed to mr L.
I have seen the reports from the equivalent to FIC in the U.K. ,
and he is not telling the truth, the report is much not different from that FIC report except for a bit of up
What the so called institutions are forgetting or ignoring here is that the public does not trust these guys to take action … as such drastic measure are required ie critical situation requires critical solution… if each institution is working as it should there would be no reason for one of them to go rogue
Many commentators here were kids when Fred Mmembe and his journalists misled Mwanawasa with corruption matrix on Chiluba. Whole idea for the Post was to bring down a regime with those matrixes that proved false when tested in court. The Post reincarnation has now been done through FIC but they want to use these reports to finish off Edgar Lungu. Personally, I think this is wrong subtle politics for FIC.
We truly need to reform FIC before they become another Post Newspapers.
False where ??
Chiluba had flats forfeited to the state and money frozen in Europe that could not be accounted for , so what false are you talking about
So if UK and US publishes these FIC Trends reports as you say Mr. Mwanza, why dont we hear our High Commissioner in London tweeting about corruption revelations in those reports way Cockroach does here?
True Patriots of our country will discuss recovery of the k6.1billion,49 houses etc.The FIC has given out important information and the nation waits what actions will be taken without delay.discounting the FIC or it’s modus operandi is irrelevant to the common man on the street
That is the point , or wanting to see that there was no 49 corruptly squired houses and no k6 billion stolen….
What a backward country this is… anything that is progressive and has the potential to deter massive corruption is seen as bad and is threatened with so called ‘reform’. Can someone tell me what institution or organisation has ever been successful at fighting corruption since multipartism was introduced? How long have DEC, ACC and the police existed and what track record do they have to fighting corruption? How many current serving govt officials have they successfully prosecuted from the Auditor General’s financial irregularities reports?
The guy has a problem with FIC just because it implicates government institutions and individuals? In fact at the level of corruption we have in this country, we need public shaming to be ever successful even by 10% in the fight against…
…In fact at the current levels of corruption we have in this country, we need public shaming of individuals to be ever successful even by 10% in the fight against corruption. You are comparing Zambia to the US and UK who have proper, truly independent law enforcement agencies like the FBI and Scotland Yard… get real mate. Through and through the corrupt politicians have always used DEC and ACC to hide their corruption with their normal songs of ‘…if you have evidence report it to the ACC and DEC…‘ and then nothing happens.
FIC has already done the analysis and investigation and now it’s up to the law enforcement agencies to pursue those individuals and institutions and prosecute them. The only reform required here is to give them more powers to be able to prosecute…
…The only reform required here is to give them more powers to be able to prosecute suspects. DEC should only look at other crimes than financial crimes… please don’t put this organization under any existing government institution. Leave it as it is. Instead of focusing on the contents of the report, we are busy discussing the mechanism of its dissemination and suggesting it be disbanded. Zambia has enough laws for anyone who feels aggrieved or slandered to go to the courts and seek recourse. I would a potential suspect hides their loot and be deterred from committing more crimes… Zambia has never successfully recovered any loot or proceeds of crime.
the demon of Fred Mmembe still lives on but now in a woman. This demon wants to bring an elected Govt down
Tell elected GRZ to show the public that they are serious fighting corruption
What a uncivilized country this is… anything that is progressive and has the potential to deter massive corruption is seen as bad and is threatened with so called ‘reform’. Can someone tell me what institution or organisation has ever been successful at fighting corruption since multipartism was introduced in Zambia? How long have DEC, ACC and the police existed and what track record do they have in fighting corruption? How many current serving govt officials have they successfully prosecuted from the Auditor General’s financial irregularities reports?
The guy has a problem with FIC just because it implicates government institutions and individuals? In fact at the current levels of corruption we have in this country, we need public shaming of individuals to be ever successful even…
What an uncivilized country this is! Anything that is progressive and has the potential to deter massive corruption is seen as bad and is threatened with so called ‘reform’. Can someone tell me what institution or organisation has ever been successful at fighting corruption since multipartism was introduced in Zambia? How long have DEC, ACC and the police existed and what track record do they have in fighting corruption? How many current serving govt officials have they successfully prosecuted from the Auditor General’s financial irregularities reports?
The guy has a problem with FIC just because it implicates government institutions and individuals? In fact at the current levels of corruption we have in this country, we need public shaming of individuals…
Zambia’s biggest problem is lack of patriotism to ones country. If truly England also has FIC and they report the dirty dirty way our FIC does here, how come we dont have Britons painting their country black. We don’t have Cockroach tweet the same way when UK FIC releases report. We busy painting our country black over mere suspicious. This is true witchcraft
Why this whole attack in the media is so laughable is that put in another scenario, this FIC trends report would be what in the finance sector is called an annual audit which is not supposed to be the case coz that is why twakwatila ba AG. Most of these guys at FIC are seasoned ex auditors from private sector hence the thoroughness of their audits/findings. Actually these people deserve a pat on the back for doing their work professionally. Personally I don’t see any partisan inclinations in this report, just investigate the people/or whichever organization is implicated kwasila. No need to put these good people at FIC under unnecessary pressure. Actually for the intelligence report to be more efficient ba FIC release it monthly so that such suspicious transactions are detected and acted…
UPND danderheads and sycophants cannot understand why FIC Director General is incompetent and a danger to the country and other sister intelligence units in the region by publishing raw data in the media…How terrible these folks who worship their Supreme leader HH of the UPND who has hidden the privatisation loot in the paradise papers
@Fwanya….you are wrong. The FIC DG is very competent and a danger to PF thieves. In RSA they have a public protector who does a commendable job of investigating and informing the general public of any financial, social and political transgression by anybody regardless of their political affiliation. Its people like you who are making this country a joke.
These are part of the thiveing elit
I have never heard anyone in the world where a FIC throws mud on its other institutions of government like our own FIC. Even if FIC information was going to be credibible, which it is not because its very raw, I dont think the manner in which it presents its reports is correct. I support reform of the FIC before it brings Chaos with that its data whose reliability is subject to further testing by law enforcement agencies
OK, iwe Dr Chitalu Chilufya, where did you get all those 49 houses?
acted upon on time. Any well meaning Zambian should support the work of the good people at FIC for they are slowly becoming the standard bearer of the much needed efficiency and professionalism in our public institutions. One Zambia!
PF MUST BE AWARE – ONCE THIS MATTERS GOES TO SLEEP NOW, ANOTHER FIC REPORT WILL COME OUT IN 2019 AND ANOTHER KILLER PUNCH WILL BE RELEASED JUST DAYS BEFORE THE 2021 GENERAL ELECTIONS. THAT WILL BE THE END OF THE ROAD FOR THIS PARTY
FIC is a danger to Zambia’s image. If UK and US ve same reports, it means they dont publish data as FIC does in Zambia. I agree this a political move to aid the UPND to move to power. Fred Mmembe used same tactics and we know how MMD lost ground. Open yours eyes
Yes they do publish the same kind of data……it is a standard they use in all countries where a FIC operates
Its only among Zambians that we get our seeming dirty and throw it to the world for everyone to think we all primitive and cant govern ourselves. We have even allowed some racists foreign nationals to proudly join the chorus in singing this song when they could best tell us about FIC in own country. For UPND members, this attitude is understood. They have been in opposition for 20 solid years and they would do anything or capitalise on any info, no matter how raw or useless it is to ascend to power. The sad part, tho, is PF aint doing enough to thwart and expose these schemes. This will be a funeral for the PF in 2021. Focus has been lost to petty things and internal infighting while other parties are busy using the FIC reports to campaign
Funeral for the corrupt, not the innocent VP
Look an the internet …..same kind of data published in all countries…..and none of their leaders goes into meltdown, only lungu
The only one that needs reforms is everyone that is uncomfortable with the FIC reports especially DEC!
What has DEC and ACC done on the Swaziland Mansion? Do they think that issue will go away?
Leave FIC alone!
Ba UPND, thez reports re all u need to campaign in 2021 coz u got no issues. u sweat upon hearing every word for reform. Good part is constitution is now clear, even us citizens can initiate amendment to FIC legislation. FIC was not formed to become anti-government but to complement govt efforts. Today FIC is not serving that effort. Its slowly becoming a tool for campaigns. 2019 going forward, these reports will be shared with law enforcement wings so that u got nothing 2 use to campaign. Havent u discovered from last FIC report that law enforcement wings re failing to find wrong doing in those allegations? u may plant as many within these wings but u can defeat truth
You are blogging under different names, you the same chap mentioned in the FIC report
@ PF believer…so you want FIC to start looting to compliment government’s looting efforts. You have really cracked my ribs.
We dont need to paralyse the FIC but we need to realign its activities so that it remains within the standard procedures in handling info which is sensitive.
My thoughts are that its wrong for us in UPND to capitalise on these suspicious transations reports to win popularity. They are so many things we can talk to our people away from this report. These FIC reports discussions only last for a month and the voters forget about them. We need real issues and offer real alternatives. Of course when we form government, we shall give the FIC powers to seize assets and prosecute but we cant allow such info to be released just to incite or excite the people
Mary Chirwa is sexy, does anyone have her contact details, please.
Eliminating FIC from public scenery will make PF unpopular, just that GRZ ought to answer question on how to make the FIC a truly independent institutions not drigej by crazy ideas for regime change ahead of 2021. Let politics remain to politicians and Government institutions must not be used by the opposition to its own advantage
The FIC is Zambia’s domestication of international law/conventions on the Global War on Terror.It must report suspicious monetary transactions to both domestic and foreign law enforcement agencies that it assesses to be aiding and abetting terror.It enjoys operational autonomy far greater than our LEAs.In discharging its functions,it has indirectly unveiled our own domestic suspicious financial activities that the Auditor General reports cannot access.I am in favor of amending the FIC act to the publishing its Trends Report a reasonable time after its confidential reports have been disseminated to our LEAs like AGs reports are done.There is need to hold our domestic LEAs to account for there failures/successes to securing convictions and recovering national loot.This will also help…
CONT
……This will also help in identifying their resource-needs and require more transparency by Government.Its Government failure to explain important national events that creates the conducive environment for rumor mongering and speculation
FIC current reporting mechanism is to call for accountability of other investigative wings for their non actions on the many things that r clear theft/ misuse/ non declaration of proceeds obtained by those in power selfishly….Am in total agreement with you on issue of raw data, which if other institutions were moving as fast as possible, but also without interference, and having only the greater spirit of good for all, that would b the case on raw data…however, we Zambian have seen this, and continue to see how our hard earned money, and how our employing the politicians , have used their position to immense so much wealth than one would ever imagine…and these same other already created institutions charged with power to quickly quell off such wrong elements, jst sit there, idol and…
This is not a matter for sycophancy and tribal inclinations; the FIC is showing the same traits that made the task on corruption fail to deliver on its mandate. The CEO of FIC must avoid semantics when writing reports that involve public policy. So far what we have seen is a wanton display of power (like Mutembo Nchito did – talking in order to get donor funding); Parliament needs to summon this lady and make her to account for her alarmist statements and inconclusive investigations. If she is confident in her abilities and work ethic, she should have published names of those suspected in money laundering otherwise the entire report is gibberish with no value.
Leave FIC alone, its reports help do what the law enforcement agents have miserably faiked to do. They have failed to arrest the spread of corruption and that is where FIC comes in: it helps to scare some of the corrupt which helps reduce corruption cases. Without FIC corrupt politicians both opposition and ruling would have a field day.
Absolute crap by Mr Issac Mwanza.
Suspicious Transaction Reports(STRs) are filed by highly qualified professionals who are employed by the banks or other reporting entities.
These banking professionals spend days analyzing financial transactions being conducted through their institutions before compiling a STR which is sent securely to Mary Chirwa and her team.
Most Banks in Zambia are foreign owed.For instance Standard Chartered is UK owned bank while FNB and Stanbic are South African owned. Even if they operate in Zambia,they will adopt the Anti-Money laundering standards and practices of UK and South Africa which are higher then Zambia.Meaning they will submit suspicious transactions reports to the Zambian FIC whether they like it or not.They are legally required to do so by…
…….UK and South African laws.
If StanChart Bank Zambia has inadequate anti-money laundering controls ,then the parent company Stanchart UK risks being fined or sanctioned by the UKFIU for allowing suspicious activity in their Zambian operations.
The so called “raw data” or STR submitted is actually actionable intelligence which the law enforcement agencies should act on.The major problem in Zambia is that corruption and other financial crimes perpetrated mainly by Political Exposed Persons have reached endemic levels.
CORRUPTION IN ZAMBIA IS NOW CONSIDERED TO BE NORMAL AND A BENEFIT OF BEING IN POWER.THE PF WONT ACT ON IT UNLESS FOR THEIR POLITICAL GAIN.
When is the Law to shoot *****S coming? Coz this Mwanza deserves to be lined up in front of the #FIRING #SQUAD right now!! How do you explain both the dwindling of our Country’s foreign reverses from over 4 months cover to barely 1 month simultaneously with the rise in Foreign Debt from U.S $1.1 Bn to over U.S $15 without commensurate Development!!? Damn ass Mwanza, “If it limps and quacks like a Duck, with mannerism of a Duck” Goddammit, it’s a Duck.
Leave FIC the way it is, only change it needs is giving it teeth to prosecute.
Problem is not Isaac or UPND cadres here. UPND cadres use tribe to think and PF cadres use belly to think. So u can see most foolish comments like yours are reflection of tribal thinking among UPND cadres.
Zambia’s biggest problem has to do with reasoning. PF cadres use their belly to think and UPND cadres use their their tribe to think. This article brings out critical issues. This is why in NAREP, we believe in nature debates than most bloggers
He is not a dumbass he knows exactly what he is doing…its LAZY LUNGU who started all this unnecessary debate now you will see them have they stomach to push for reforms so they details are shelved on some directors shelf in DEC.
Bitterness is what will make UPND to never rule Zambia. U guys luck objectivity and this guy has given u a last punch. So only thing u can do is exhibit bitterness. Tuleya tulekula ka ba UPND.
Just amazed on how Isac broke down the issue of raw data for easier understanding by an average mind. And no one can dispute that FIC data is raw data indeed. It is not even actionable until competent law enforcers interpret it. Correct position.
As for UPND cadres, its time to engage in intelligent discussion than the bitterness we see from all blogs including in your own WhatsApp groups. We know u scared of remaining in opposition even after 2021 but using FIC report to do your Facebook campaign stinks.
PF failure however is lack of people that can expose such pettiness in many matters working against them as has been done; the Ministers are sleeping; the govt officials are sleeping. Our own structures are sleeping and u hope to win 2021 with a landslide?
He has just lied to you and you think he has explained E=mc2
Money from Chinese Construction firm A is transferred to lawyer B to Minister C and Construction A has just won a EXIM Bank funded project for Minister’s ministry. You dont need a degree to work what is going on here!!
FIC misfired on reporting. Let’s iron out the reporting issue.
Besides misdirecting the report, let them be working the way they’ve been. Great job by FIC.
Bitterness is what will make UPND to never rule Zambia. U guys luck objectivity and this guy has given u a last punch. So only thing u can do is exhibit bitterness. Tuleya tulekula ka ba UPND.
All those PF thieves feeling victimised by FIC report , all other countries publish similar reports ……but only lungu feels guilt , none of the other leaders feel victimised
Canada
w w w.fintrac-canafe.gc.ca/publications/ar/2018/ar2018-eng.pdf
South Africa
.fic.gov.za/Documents/SCAMS%20&%20TYPOLOGIES%20-%20Public%20Awareness%20DEC%202018.pdf