September 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has suspended three Supreme Court judges following a report by the Judicial Complaints Commission, although the reasons for this decision have not yet been disclosed.
Those affected by the measure are Anne Sitali, Mugeni Mulenga and Palan Mulonda, all of whom were appointed in 2016 by Hichilema’s predecessor, Edgar Lungu. In fact, all of them ratified the possibility of the then president running for a third term, amid complaints of unconstitutionality for this fact.
According to information gathered by the Lusaka Times, at the centre of the policy is the Judicial Service Commission, a body charged with overseeing the conduct of judges and ensuring that they adhere to ethical standards set by the authorities.
The recommendation by the body to suspend these judges therefore suggests that there are doubts about their behaviour, although so far no details have been revealed and some critics point out that the commission could be influenced by the Executive, which would call into question its independence.
Hichilema won the presidential elections held in 2021, in which he ran as the main opposition leader to Lungu. Thus, he managed to access the presidency on the fifth attempt, taking advantage of the deterioration of the president’s image due to the economic and social crisis in Zambia, aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic.
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