judges’ Secret INTERVIEWS ENDS TODAY

…despite John Sangwa SC through Legal Resource Foundation having sued the President, Speaker of the National Assembly and the Attorney General to halt the interviews and the eventual employment of the Judges against the Constitution

By NATION REPORTER

THE secret recruitment of Judges for various superior courts commenced on Monday and are expected to be concluded today (Friday) the Legal Resources Foundation Limited (LRF) having petitioned the Constitutional Court…
through Simeza Sangwa and Associates to stop the process because it is illegal and unconstitutional.
Sources close to the matter have disclosed that the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) decided to ignore the filing of the petition by the Legal Resource Foundation to halt the interviews and the eventual recruitment of the Judges and proceeded with the process on Monday this week.
The LRF has sued President Hakainde Hichilema, Speaker of the National Assembly, the Attorney General and the Judicial Service Commission in a bid to stop the secret recruitment of Judges because the process is unconstitutional.
Sources have said the Executive was determined to staff the superior courts with friendly judges in anticipation of the 2026 general election being challenged.
They said the JSC had decided to ignore the petition filed in the Constitutional Court because the executive had chosen chaos and lawlessness over cooperation and rule of law.
“The interviews for the recruitment of Judges commenced on Monday and have been going on and will be concluded tomorrow (Today). These people to not respect the rule of law and as you have observed in their past four years, they have been breaching the Constitution with impunity. They have chosen legal chaos and lawlessness over the rule of law and cooperation. They have ignored the petition filed in the Constitutional Court by State Counsel John Sangwa through the Legal Resource Foundation and went ahead with the interviews,” the sources said.
The LRF, represented by Simeza Sangwa and Associates sued cited President Hakainde Hichilema, the Attorney General, the Judicial Service Commission (JSC), and the National Assembly as respondents.
The Foundation contends that the ongoing and imminent recruitment processes for Judges of the superior courts violate constitutional principles of merit, transparency, inclusivity, accountability, and good governance.
It states that 20 judicial vacancies advertised in March and April 2025 under the repealed Superior Courts (Number of Judges) Act, 2016, as well as new positions created under the Superior Courts (Number of Judges) Act No. 12 of 2025.
LRF argues the JSC had not disclosed interview dates, evaluation criteria, or shortlists to the public, yet interviews were reportedly scheduled to begin on September 22.
The Foundation argued that such secrecy was undermining constitutional obligations under Articles 173, 118, 216, and 259, which require that public appointments be conducted openly and inclusively.
 It is therefore seeking an interim order restraining the JSC from proceeding with the interviews or filling any vacancies until a constitutionally compliant process is put in place.