THE Constitutional Court has condemned police officers who barred some lawyers from accessing court grounds and demanded that they first collect their identity cards.
Constitutional Court judge president Margaret Munalula said the court does not condone any attempt aimed at barring lawyers from accessing the courts.
“We condemn the actions of the police in strongest terms and we hope that that does not happen again” Judge Munalula said. 
She said this today shortly before the court started reading the judgement in a case involving former President Edgar Lungu’s eligibility to contest the 2021 elections and future elections.
Before the six member bench could read the judgement, Mr Lungu’s lawyer Bonaventure Mutale expressed displeasure with the manner police treated lawyers at the gate.
“We wish to place on record our concern and disquiet at the manner we have been treated by police, we were not allowed access to court premises and we had to go to chambers to get our identity cards and we had to come back and still not allowed”.
Mr Mutale said the lawyers had to phone Attorney General Mulilo Kabesha for intervention before being allowed to enter the premises.
He urged the court to guide the police on the need to respect practicing lawyers.
Mr Kabesha confirmed the police’s frowned upon actions stressing that lawyers should “never, never” be restricted from entering court premises especially when there is a case of national interest from which other advocates can learn something.
After admonishing the police, Professor Munalula said her deputy Arnold Shilimi would proceed to read the judgement, which is underway.
