Chief Justice Confirms Receipt of Presidential Petition Sent Via Private Email

Chief Justice Mumba Malila has confirmed that he received a petition challenging the outcome of Zambia’s August 13, 2026 presidential election through his private email address. The petition, described as the “People’s Presidential Petition,” seeks to challenge the results of the presidential election in which President Hakainde Hichilema was declared the winner. In a statement […]

Chief Justice Mumba Malila has confirmed that he received a petition challenging the outcome of Zambia’s August 13, 2026 presidential election through his private email address.

The petition, described as the “People’s Presidential Petition,” seeks to challenge the results of the presidential election in which President Hakainde Hichilema was declared the winner.

In a statement issued by Judiciary of Zambia Deputy Director of Corporate Communications Kalumba Chisambisha-Slavin, the Judiciary said it was aware of social media claims suggesting that the petition had already been formally filed.

However, Justice Malila clarified that receiving the documents through his private email did not amount to the formal filing of a court petition.

The Chief Justice described the use of his private email address to transmit official court documents as highly irregular.

Despite this, Justice Malila said he had, in an exceptional exercise of his administrative powers, referred the documents received to the Constitutional Court for consideration.

The referral will allow the Constitutional Court to determine whether the petition was properly filed and whether it can be considered through the prescribed legal process.

Justice Malila said affected parties would be informed of the Constitutional Court’s position in due course.

He further stressed that the method used to send the documents should not be interpreted as formal lodgement of the presidential petition with the Judiciary.

The development has generated interest because presidential election petitions are subject to strict constitutional and procedural requirements regarding how and where they are filed.

The Judiciary has therefore cautioned members of the public against relying on social media reports concerning the status of court proceedings.

Justice Malila said members of the public should rely on official Judiciary communication for accurate information regarding the filing and progress of court matters.

The Judiciary also clarified that the Chief Justice’s decision to refer the documents to the Constitutional Court was an exceptional administrative action and should not be regarded as creating a precedent for future correspondence.

Justice Malila emphasised that official court documents must be submitted through the prescribed filing procedures.

The matter will now be considered by the Constitutional Court, which is expected to determine whether the documents transmitted to the Chief Justice’s private email address satisfy the requirements for formal filing.

Until that determination is made, the Judiciary has urged the public to exercise caution and await official communication from the Constitutional Court.

The development comes amid heightened public interest in legal challenges surrounding the August 13 presidential election and the declaration of the results.