Parliament's Section 89 Impeachment Committee can summon president according to legal advice
President Cyril Ramaphosa may either voluntarily present evidence before the Section 89 impeachment inquiry or be forced to appear if the committee decides to summon him.
This was clarified in legal advice presented by Senior Parliamentary Legal Adviser Sueanne Isaac and Parliamentary Legal Adviser Michael Prince when the Section 89 committee met on Wednesday.
The impeachment committee also recommended the appointment of Advocate Thandazani Griffiths Madonsela SC as the evidence leader for the inquiry.
His name now needs to be adopted by the National Assembly. The legal opinion also addressed the standard of proof the committee should apply in reaching its findings, whether Ramaphosa should testify first, and whether the independent Section 89 panel could be called upon to clarify aspects of its report.
