Former Lumezi parliamentarian Munir Zulu and lawyer Celestine Mukandila have filed a request with the Constitutional Court to cite the Speaker of the National Assembly, parliamentary clerks, and 164 elected and nominated lawmakers for contempt of court. The petitioners are seeking jail terms for the presiding officers, clerks, and lawmakers. They argue these officials participated in an “illegal Bill 7,” thereby disregarding a previous Constitutional Court judgment.
Zulu and Mr. Mukandila contend that the National Assembly should not have tabled the bill after the court declared the proposed law unconstitutional. Through filed summons, they have commenced contempt proceedings against Speaker Nelly Mutti, her deputies, the clerks, and the lawmakers.
They also want Minister of Justice Princess Kasune cited for contempt, as she communicated to the First Deputy Speaker, Attractor Chisangano, that the deferred Bill 7 would be brought back to the floor of the House. In their court documents, the petitioners reference a June 7, 2025, Constitutional Court judgment that declared the process leading to Bill 7 unconstitutional for lacking mandatory consultation. They submit that following this declaration, the bill should have been withdrawn entirely, and the government should have started a new process.
Read Full Article on Lusaka Times
[paywall]
Instead, they argue, the Speaker merely deferred the bill, a decision the petitioners claim is “highly contemptuous and disrespectful” to the court. They state that any official or MP who continues to participate in this process is acting in contempt. The petitioners have therefore asked the court to cite all participants in the constitutional amendment process for contempt of court.
[/paywall]
