The Constitutional Court has dismissed a petition by Patriots for Economic Progress -PEP President SEAN TEMBO that President HAKAINDE HICHILEMA must have declared his assets before the 2021 General Election.
The Court has observed that the omission by President HICHILEMA and other candidates in the 2021 General Election, to declare their assets did not contravene article 52 sub-article three of the Zambian Constitution.
The Constitutional Court has anchored its decision on the provisions of Section 31 clause ‘C’ and Regulation 22 of the Electoral Process Act.
The provisions only compel Parliamentary and Local Government Election Candidates to declare their assets to the exclusion of Presidential Contenders.
The Court further observed that is was discriminatory for Mr. TEMBO to single out President HICHILEMA as having not declared his assets while there were 16 Presidential Candidates that contested the 2021 General Election.
The court stated that such candidates included Mr. TEMBO himself.
Constitutional Court Judges MUGENI MULENGA, PALANI MULONDA, MARTIN MUSALUKE and MATHEW CHISUNKA, constituted the quorum for the majority Judgment.
