By Andrew Warshaw
September 5 – Political opponents of Jack Warner continue to turn up the heat on the former FIFA powerbroker with a demand that he be kicked out of Government in his native Trinidad and Tobago.
Congress of the People (COP) vice-chairman Vernon De Lima (pictured top) has filed a motion with an ultimatum that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar (pictured below, right) removes Warner (pictured below, left) from the Cabinet.
Otherwise, says the COP, it will cut ties with the People’s Partnership Coalition Government, which originated with five political parties – the United National Congress (UNC), the COP, the National Joint Action Committee (NJAC), the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) and the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ).
As well as asking Warner to be removed as National Security Minister, the COP want to stop the veteran former FIFA vice-president, who resigned from football in the wake of last year’s cash-for-votes scandal but is still allowed to pursue his political career, from purchasing two local papers.
Warner was the man accused of facilitating the infamous Trinidad and Tobago meeting where Mohammed Bin Hammam allegedly tried to bribe Caribbean officials to vote for him against Sepp Blatter in the 2011 FIFA Presidential election.
Bin Hammam was banned for life and although the verdict was overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) through lack of sufficient evidence, he has been banned again, this time over allegations of wrongdoing when he ran Asian football.
The COP motion, which will be debated on Sunday (September 9), cites the CAS ruling which, as well as focussing on Bin Hammam, also criticised Warner’s role in the bribery affair.
In its written judgement, the party points out, the CAS “said that Mr Jack Warner is a man that cannot be trusted, that he has secret United States fund accounts, that he mingles funds periodically and that he is a man who appears to be prone to an economy with the truth.”
It also reiterates that Warner is presently under investigation by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service for possible breaches of the Customs Act with respect to how $1 million (£630,000/€795,000) to pay the Caribbean members allegedly got into the country.
“It must continue to be our position that Mr Jack Warner should not be a member of Cabinet at this time,” the motion states.
“Therefore be it resolved that the Congress of the People call on the Honourable Prime Minister to remove Mr Jack Warner from the Cabinet, failing which the Congress of the People will disassociate itself entirely from the People’s Partnership.”
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