Zambia high court rejects attempt to stop presidential inauguration News
Zambia high court rejects attempt to stop presidential inauguration

[JURIST] The Zambia Supreme Court has denied an application by the country’s main opposition party to stop Tuesday’s inauguration of President Edgar Lungu [BBC profile], a lawyer for the opposition party stated Monday. Lungu’s inauguration had been postponed when Hakainde Hichilema [campaign website], opposition leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), filed a lawsuit [JURIST report] contesting the results of the August 11 election. A single judge on the court rejected [Reuters report] the application because he had no jurisdiction. The lawyer said that his clients intend to file another application before the supreme court en banc.

Zambia’s presidency has been surrounded by controversy in recent years. In 2013 Zambian authorities arrested [JURIST report] former president Rupiah Banda on allegations that he misappropriated over USD $11 million during his three-year tenure in office. Zambia’s Supreme Court in 2010 acquitted [JURIST report] Regina Chiluba, the wife of former Zambian president Frederick Chiluba, of charges that she accepted stolen property during the years of her husband’s administration. Prior to his wife’s acquittal, former president Chiluba was acquitted [JURIST report] in 2009 of charges of stealing money from the country’s treasury while in office from 1991-2001. He was ordered to stand trial [JURIST report] on the corruption charges in February 2008.