ZAMBIA’s President Hakainde Hichilema has suspended three top judges over alleged judicial misconduct, prompting accusations of political interference in the judiciary.
In 2016, the three Constitutional Court judges dismissed President Hichilema’s petition, in which he challenged the election victory of former President Edgar Lungu.
They also took part in a controversial ruling allowing Lungu to stand in the 2021 elections, despite having twice served as Zambia’s president.
Political tensions are rising in Zambia ahead of elections in 2026, when Hichilema and Lungu are expected 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 decide whether Lungu can contest those elections.
The judges’ suspension, which has sparked sharp reactions, was based on recommendations by a panel which investigates them, the presidency said.
The suspended judges – Justice Annie Sitali, Justice Mungeni Mulenga, and Justice Palan Mulonda – are yet to comment on the matter.
The trio have been investigated by the Judicial Complaints Commission (JCC), following a complaint by lawyer Joseph Busenga over their judicial conduct.
Mr Busenga, who now works as a diplomat at the Zambian embassy in Belgium, in 2022 petitioned the JCC to remove the three judges from office citing the “improper manner” in which they had handled the 2016 presidential election petition.
They ruled against Hichilema and in favour of Lungu, the man he eventually replaced.
After two years of investigations, President Hichilema on Monday suspended them on the recommendation of the JCC, the presidency said.
“The suspensions of the three is in exercise of the powers vested in the president,” the presidency statement stated, without giving further details.
