PORT-OF-SPAIN – CHIEF Justice Ivor Archie will not face any impeachment proceedings over allegations of misconduct that have been made against him.
In response to a question at the post cabinet press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in Port-of-Spain on Thursday, Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley said he will not exercise his discretionary power under Section 137 of the Constitution to initiate impeachment proceedings against the CJ.
Rowley said he received legal advice on the recommendation made by the Law Association. This after the association had appointed a special committee to look into the issue following calls for impeachment of the CJ.
The committee had concluded that there was sufficient basis for the Prime Minister to refer the matter to the President and that the question of removing the Chief Justice ought to be investigated.
On Thursday Rowley said, “The Law Association sent me a request that I do certain things. I told you that I would take legal advice.
“The legal advice I have indicates that I don’t need to or I should not acquiesce to the Law Association’s advice, so we move on.”
The controversy stemmed from a series of newspaper articles that accused Archie of attempting to persuade his judges to change their State-provided security to a private company in which his friend and convicted fraudster Dillian Johnson worked.
