Godfrey Smith: “Everybody should be held answerable.”

Senior Counsel Godfrey Smith served as Attorney General during the second Musa administration from 2003 to 2008. It was under his watch that the constitution was amended to allow for commissions of inquiry. Smith continues to strongly support these measures and emphasizes the importance of holding public officials accountable.

 

Godfrey Smith, Attorney-at-law

“First of all, let me be clear that I have to support the ability of the senate to have a special inquiry because, if I’m not mistaken, it was the government that I was a part of when I was attorney general, that amended the constitution to allow for that to take place.  I can only imagine [that] we must have thought it a good thing, but I still think that it’s a good power to have.  I can’t and won’t comment on particular legal stances taken by any particular minister because I haven’t actually looked at the law in relation to ministers, the Cabinet Secretary and those things.  It may be that, arguably, if I was retained I would have had to put forward legal arguments supporting their refusal or their decision not to.  I don’t know, because I haven’t examined it.  I don’t know the law, but certainly I support the concept of senate special inquiries into matters of public interest like this one, but as to the nuances, I can’t get into the weeds of the particular because I don’t know the law, I haven’t looked at the facts.”

 

Reporter

“But you agree with the principle that public officials should be held answerable.”

 

Godfrey Smith

“Of course, everybody should be held answerable and accountable.”