Legal practitioner Victoria Bright is disappointed in suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo’s public criticism of the ongoing impeachment proceedings.
She argued that her actions disregarded constitutional protocols under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
The lawyer made these remarks during a panel discussion on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday.
Madam Bright stressed that the constitutional framework mandates impeachment proceedings against the Chief Justice to be conducted in camera, a principle Justice Torkornoo openly challenged during her press conference last week.
The suspended CJ had argued that the secrecy of the process was unjustified, as the allegations against her involved no national security concerns.
However, Victoria Bright countered that “I would have wished that she respected the constitutional procedures emanating from Article 146, which require these proceedings to be held in camera. We are only hearing her side at the moment, and the panel comprises eminent individuals capable of evaluating the facts impartially.”
She questioned whether Justice Torkornoo’s public statements undermined the integrity of the process, noting that the five-member committee appointed by the President and including senior justices and non-partisan experts is designed to ensure fairness.
“Has this whole thing not been put in the bosom of the president of the republic, acting in conjunction with the council of state?
‘Why is one person – I know she’s the Chief Justice, she’s a justice of the Supreme Court, but it’s not subject to one person’s interpretation. We have to respect that this has been put into the bosom of someone else, not her. So you can’t just get up and make your own rules,” she added.
ALSO READ: