The disciplinary hearing for Charles Taylor’s lawyer was adjourned last Friday after six minutes, as judge Julia Sebutinde refused to take part in the proceedings. Courtenay Griffiths was to be subject to a disciplinary hearing for walking out of the courtroom on February 8th before closing arguments in the war crimes case against his client at the Special Court for Sierra Leone.

By Thijs Bouwknegt

The judges had demanded an apology from Griffiths, but instead his team requested a disciplinary hearing. When the court convened last Friday, Sebutinde was absent from court because she “dissented from the directive to lead” Griffiths. “I will not in principle attend Friday’s hearing,” a statement from the Ugandan Judge read.

There was however a new face in court. Griffiths brought Peter Robinson to Leidschendam to represent him. The legal advisor to Radovan Karadzic at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia said he was privileged to also appear before the SCSL and that is was “a real honour to represent Courtenay Griffiths.”

Robinson requested that the alternate judge, Justice Sow, be invited “to participate so the bench is constituted of three regularly constituted judges.”

Public, and serious, disagreement among the judges followed. Sow made it very clear that he was prevented by his colleagues from participating in the proceedings: “this Bench is regularly composed with three judges sitting, as it shows. Two judges cannot sign decisions. When the Bench is sitting, it’s sitting with three judges, not two judges, and I don’t know what. I’m not here for decoration. I am a judge. [...] I don’t know where in this world you will see two judges sitting. It’s not possible. [...]”

Amidst the confusion, presiding Judge Teresa Doherty, however, ended the session quite abruptly, saying the trial chamber was “not properly constituted” and considered there was “no alternative but to adjourn this hearing.”

Also read: Charles Taylor boycotts his own trial

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Earlier IJT editions:

• International Justice Tribune, 122 (16 February 2011)
• International Justice Tribune, 121 (2 February 2011)
• International Justice Tribune, 120 (19 January 2011)
• International Justice Tribune, 119 (14 December 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 118 (1 December 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 117 (17 November 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 116 (2 November 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 115 (20 October 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 114 (4 October 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 113 (21 September)
• International Justice Tribune, 112 (8 September 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 111 (25 August 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 110 (14 July 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 109 (30 June 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 108 (16 June 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 107 (2 June 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 106 (19 May 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 105 (5 May 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 104 (21 April 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 103 (7 April 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 102 (24 March 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 101 (10 March 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 100 (24 February 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 99 (10 February 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 98 (27 January 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 97 (13 January 2010)
• International Justice Tribune, 96 (23 December 2009)
• International Justice Tribune, 95 (9 December 2009)
• International Justice Tribune, 94 (25 November 2009)
• International Justice Tribune, 93 (11 November 2009)
• International Justice Tribune, 92 (28 October 2009)
• International Justice Tribune, 91 (14 October 2009)
• International Justice Tribune, 90 (30 September 2009)
• International Justice Tribune, 89 (16 September 2009)