Warner forced to wait to find out if to be charged after bribery allegations

By David Gold

November 16 – “Due process” will be followed if the former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner is found guilty of breaching the country’s customs laws, Trinidad and Tobago’s Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has said as his office continues to investigate a tape that emerged seemingly showing Warner encouraging FIFA delegates to take bribes.

The tape, first revealed by the Daily Telegraph in October, was passed on to Ramlogan to investigate by the country’s Prime Minister.

It allegedly shows Warner encouraging FIFA members at a meeting in the Port of Spain in May to accept bribes in return for voting for the former Presidential candidate Mohammed Bin Hammam.

When the FIFA Executive Committee member Chuck Blazer revealed the issue in May, Bin Hammam was forced to withdraw from the race to become FIFA President, and both he and Warner were suspended.

Warner subsequently quit his FIFA post in return for an investigation into his conduct being dropped, whilst Bin Hammam is still fighting to clear his name after being found guilty by FIFA and banned from all football activities.

Parliamentarians have called for action against Warner, who is the Minister for Works and Infrastructure in Trinidad, because they allege the country’s customs and foreign exchange laws may have been breached if money was brought to the country’s capital to be offered to FIFA members at the meeting.

“If there is evidence of personal benefit or profit or corruption that will violate our laws, then due process will be followed,” said Ramlogan.

“The evidence thus far points towards [Bin] Hamman in the issue and the context of the dynamics of FIFA’s politics looms largely and penetratingly in this matter.”

Warner has not yet been questioned by police, and Ramlogan added: “The allegations raised by the opposition about the breach of the customs law in the alleged undeclared importation of large sums of foreign currency is the subject of a police investigation.

“That might raise several questions in many different directions.

“At this stage, it’s important we respect the independence of the police in conducting their investigations.

“Any pronouncement in favour of or adverse to Mr Warner would therefore be inappropriate, unfair and improper.”

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