Indicted former Fifa official Jack Warner says he will indeed be contesting a seat in T&T’s upcoming general elections under his Independent Liberal Party ticket—but he hasn’t decided which one yet.
Warner confirmed this as he spoke to reporters outside the Parliament yesterday. He returned to Parliament after being absent for Wednesday’s Lower House sitting due to his court appearance on 12 bribery and corruption charges arising out of his former Fifa career.
Asked about claims by United National Congress officials that he didn’t fund the party or elections in 2010, Warner said for 20 years former UNC treasurer Chandresh Sharma didn’t know how much money they had and couldn’t sign cheques, “So what does he know?”
Warner said he had his accountants looking for cheque records of his funding, including for the 2010 general elections campaign, the UNC leadership election in early 2010 and all those he gave cash to. He said he would make them public, adding one person was prepared to come forward and that was enough. He claimed he paid Sharma’s salary in the 2001 18-18 Parliamentary deadlock and also when Sharma came out of Parliament then.
Warner couldn’t say how much he assisted financially with the UNC leadership election, but would do so in the next couple days. He said it was unfortunate and didn’t think it was necessary to say who he gave money to.
“That’s not my style but if that’s what it’s come to, then so be it,” he said.
Warner said it was “obscene and absurd” for the Prime Minister to have read out the charges against him at Wednesday’s Parliament session, and he’d deal with that. He said the PM had been “trying her best to demonise PNM leader Dr Keith Rowley and himself.
“She believes she’s finished with Rowley and she’ll go after me now. But I’ll go after her, beginning last night and that goes unending,” he said. (See Page A11)
Warner said “as black” as the media had painted Fifa jefe Sepp Blatter, the latter was re-elected to head the world governing body for football yesterday. He said the voice of the people in Zurich had spoken “so whatever you say about him, he’s still there. But I’ll have my say here. Nobody says the US has any divine right to host a World Cup.”
He said the US was wrong to “flex its muscles” and lauded Russian president Vladimir Putin for speaking out on the situation. “It’s wrong and you guys (media) must say so,” Warner added.
While Warner was speaking, Fixin T&T’s Kirk Waithe sharply shouted to Warner several times, asking about million-dollar Local Organising Committee (LOC) funding.
Sparring with MPs
Inside the Parliament, Warner delivered a statement to the Lower House saying he was not present on Wednesday “since I was in prison for things I knew nothing about, but at the end of the day I’ve worked for this country fearlessly and I continue to do so as a good patriot—nothing can be done to impugn my character.” He asked Government why the state’s team of legal representatives in the current extradition matter included an attorney “who is himself a subject of two police investigations.” The state’s team in the extradition matter against him comprises Pamela Elder (SC), Gerald Ramdeen, Jagdeo Singh, Alvin Pariagsingh and Central Authority head Netram Kowlessar.
But PP House leader Dr Roodal Moonilal said there had been no findings of wrongdoing against any attorney involved in the extradition matter and the Legal Profession act doesn’t debar someone from functioning merely on allegation of wrong-doing although it may subject of police investigation.
“Likewise, if an MP was accused of wrong doing, whether locally or abroad, he’s still free to come to Parliament and represent doing an MP’s job.” Moonilal said none of the attorneys in the extradition case had anything to debar them from functioning and to suggest otherwise would be a violation of the attorney’s rights and equality of opportunity.