FIC REPORT UNCOVERS $3.5 BILLION LOOT AS TEMBO DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM STATE
A staggering US$3.5 billion in illicit financial flows linked to illegal mining has rocked the nation following the release of the 2024 Financial Intelligence Centre (FIC) Trends Report and opposition leader Sean Tembo is demanding brutal accountability.
In a fiery statement issued Friday, Patriots for Economic Progress (PeP) President and Tonse Alliance Spokesperson Sean Tembo tore into the government’s silence and inaction, accusing the ruling United Party for National Development (UPND) of complicity and cover-up.
“The FIC report is clear. Between January and December 2024 alone, over US$3.5 billion left Zambia through illegal mining activities mainly from North-Western and Luapula Provinces. That’s more than half the value of our legitimate copper exports. Yet somehow, the government claims ignorance,” Tembo said.
Citing official GDP statistics, Tembo painted a disturbing picture: “Zambia’s 2024 GDP stood at US$29.4 billion. That means this criminal racket is equivalent to more than 11% of our entire economy. And you’re telling us law enforcement didn’t notice?”
Tembo, a forensic auditor with over 25 years in public audit practice, questioned why a mining operation of that magnitude exceeding the output of some of Zambia’s largest legitimate mines could go unnoticed by police, military, and intelligence agencies.
“Where did this gold and sugilite go? Who moved it across our borders? And more critically, who is protecting them? Because no syndicate of that scale can operate in broad daylight without official backing,” he charged.
The FIC report pinpointed North-Western and Luapula as the epicenters of the illegal extraction, citing gold and other precious minerals as the primary targets. Tembo further linked the findings to previous gold and sugilite scandals that rocked Kasenseli in Mwinilunga and various sites in Luapula Province.
He noted that after the PF administration established the Zambia Gold Mining and Trading Company in 2020 to formalize gold trade, the UPND government “shelved the initiative,” instead deploying Zambia National Service (ZNS) soldiers to guard the same mines a move that now raises red flags.
“ZNS was deployed, yes. But to guard or to mine? In 2022, their own officers were caught red-handed illegally mining at Kasenseli. Promises were made about disciplinary action. To date? Nothing. Absolute silence,” Tembo said.
He didn’t mince his words: “ZNS cannot be investigated by police. We all know that. So if ZNS personnel are involved, who will hold them to account? And if senior officials at State House were implicated in the 2023 Gold Scandal, and no one has been jailed despite dramatic arrests and publicized seizures what message does this send?”
Tembo reminded Zambians that the plane involved in the $5 million Gold Scandal with Egyptian nationals was quietly returned, along with the cash and contraband yet no public explanation has ever been offered.
He slammed what he called “a high-level criminal cartel hiding behind national uniforms and political offices,” adding, “This is not artisanal mining this is state-sanctioned looting of our national wealth.”
“Zambia does not belong to a few individuals in government uniforms or executive corridors. We all have an equal claim to its resources. It is time we demand to know who is pocketing this $3.5 billion. If they are in Cabinet, Parliament, or State House they must be exposed, arrested, and jailed. No one should be above the law.”
Tembo’s bombshell adds to growing public frustration over unexplained riches, elite impunity, and the increasingly visible militarization of mining sites in Zambia.
©️ KUMWESU | July 25, 2025