Former prime minister Basdeo Panday says although his long time friend Jack Warner has been indicted on several charges in the United States, it does not mean an end to Warner’s Independent Liberal Party (ILP).
In an interview Panday said, “If Jack Warner is indicted it becomes a legal battle now. The United States will apply for extradition and it will be a long drawn out court battle.”
Asked whether the ILP would collapse now that Warner was possibly facing a 20-year jail term, Panday said, “I don’t know. It does not necessarily mean an end because Trinidadians are very funny people and they do all kinds of stupid things politically.
“I can’t tell if this means he will lose support. One has to wait for the reaction of people and Warner’s own reactions.”
He said Warner’s indictment on charges ranging from wire fraud, money laundering and obstruction of justice in relation to his tenure as a Fifa executive was not surprising.
“There were rumours and suggestions on the papers that he was being investigated by FBI and it seems those rumours were true having regard to what has happened now.”
Panday also said he did not see the indictment affecting readership of Warner’s tabloid newspaper Sunshine.
“People like to read commess. They like comess, bacchanal and irrelevance. The Sunshine will still make a contribution because everybody has a view and a right to express a view, so I suppose the paper will be read because anything that full of bacchanal will be read,” Panday added.
He said, however, that the indictment is reflecting badly on the image of T&T internationally.
“He served as a Minister of National Security and Minister of Works. Anything that has happened on the level of the leadership and politics has an impact internationally.”
Asked whether he believed that Warner could bounce back and regain his popularity, Panday quipped, “I don’t know how good is his ball.”
He said although he and Warner were friends, he never asked him about the Fifa investigation.
“I will await the outcome and try not to prejudge people. I have never asked him because I have not been active in the party since 2010 and no opportunity has arisen before.”
Asked whether it was a mistake to have had Warner serve as a minister, Panday said, “This Government has made so many mistakes I don’t know where to start. That should be a question that Kamla (Persad-Bissessar) should answer.”