Convener of the One Ghana Movement, has described suspended Chief Justice Gertrude Sackey Torkornoo’s recent press conference as an act of indiscretion and unfortunate.
Senyo Hosi argued that her public statements undermined judicial processes.
Mr Hosi made these remarks during a heated discussion on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, where he questioned the appropriateness of Justice Torkornoo’s decision to address her impeachment proceedings in the “court of public opinion” rather than through constitutional channels.
Mr Hosi criticised the suspended Chief Justice for disregarding Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution, which mandates that impeachment proceedings against a Chief Justice be conducted in camera.
“You are Chief Justice. You should understand the law much better than anybody, not relatively, but you should understand the basics of it. The provisions about this being in camera are very express. They are not ambiguous, where you can’t understand the impact and the relevance of it.”
He acknowledged that while Justice Torkornoo has the right to defend herself, doing so through a public press conference, instead of before the five-member committee handling her case, was inappropriate.
“Are you [Chief Justice] going to adjudicate your right to enforce it in public through a press conference? I don’t see her… So I don’t know what this entire thing was about. This attempt to prosecute the matter or adjudicate the matter in the court of public opinion is rather an act of indiscretion and unfortunate,” Mr Hosi said.
Also on the show, a legal practitioner, Victoria Bright, was disappointed in the suspended Chief Justice’s public criticism of the ongoing impeachment proceedings.
She argued that her actions disregarded constitutional protocols under Article 146 of the 1992 Constitution.
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.”
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