Zambia’s Pdwellnt Hakainde Hichilema has suspfinished three top appraises over alleged judicial wrongdoing, prompting accusations of political intrudence in the judiciary.
In 2016, the three Constitutional Court appraises disseeed Pdwellnt Hichilema’s petition, in which he disputed the election triumph of establisher Pdwellnt Edgar Lungu.
They also took part in a disputed ruling permiting Lungu to stand in the 2021 elections, despite having twice served as Zambia’s pdwellnt.
Political tensions are rising in Zambia ahead of elections in 2026, when Hichilema and Lungu are foreseeed to face each other for a fourth time.
The three were due to be part of a bench sitting on Thursday in a case which would choose whether Lungu can contest those elections.
The appraises’ suspension, which has igniteed keen reactions, was based on recommfinishations by a panel which depictateigates them, the pdwellncy said.
The suspfinished appraises – Justice Annie Sitali, Justice Mungeni Mulenga, and Justice Palan Mulonda – are yet to comment on the matter.
The trio have been depictateigated by the Judicial Complaints Comleave oution (JCC), chaseing a grumblet by lawyer Joseph Bengagenga over their judicial direct.
Mr Bengagenga, who now labors as a diplomat at the Zambian embassy in Belgium, in 2022 petitioned the JCC to delete the three appraises from office citing the “improper manner” in which they had deal withd the 2016 pdwellntial election petition.
They ruled agetst Hichilema and in favour of Lungu, the man he eventuassociate replaced.
After two years of depictateigations, Pdwellnt Hichilema on Monday suspfinished them on the recommfinishation of the JCC, the pdwellncy said.
“The suspensions of the three is in exercise of the powers vested in the pdwellnt,” the pdwellncy statement stated, without giving further details.
The transfer igniteed keen criticism, with Lungu’s Patuproaric Front (PF) saying the suspension was illegitimate.
“I want to say to the Zambian people that the time has come for you to stand up and fight the inequitableice which is being applied to the judiciary becaengage when we leave out the judiciary, we would have lost everyleang,” Lungu telderly journacatalogs on Tuesday.
Activists have also accengaged Pdwellnt Hichilema of meddling in the indepfinishence of the judiciary.
Neither the pdwellnt nor his office have reacted to the accusation.
However, some argue that the judiciary has already become politicised.
Social and political commentator Laura Miti says the appraises deserve to be sacked but the pdwellnt is at least partly advertised by revenge.
“My truthful see is that the appraises harmed the country and now and the pdwellnt is doing the same,” she wrote on her Facebook page.
The appraises’ suspension comes exposedly 48 hours before the Constitutional Court sits to hear Lungu’s re-uncovered eligibility case.
The establisher pdwellnt has proclaimd a political comeback and is set to contest next year’s pdwellntial race – agetst Hichilema.
“It is an innervously dangery political game that Hichilema is carry outing over this desire to delete Lungu,” political analyst Sishuwa Sishuwa posted on X.
The three appraises will now go thraw a disciplinary procedure, after which they will either be deleted from the bench or be reinstated.
Under Zambia’s constitution, all appraises, including the chief equitableice, are assigned by the pdwellnt upon the recommfinishation of the JCC and with the approval of the National Assembly.
Critics say the pdwellnt’s comprisement in the assignment and removal of appraises agrees the indepfinishence of the judiciary.
