Fresh from prison Warner says he's not holding back any longer on Kamla

Warner was speaking for the first time since being released from prison at an Independent Liberal Party (ILP) cottage meeting in Endeavour, Chaguanas.

“I want to tell Kamla that as of tonight the gloves are off! Kamla having jailed me, as of tonight the gloves are off!” said Warner.

“Everything I have against Kamla I will bring it out. I have kept it back too long and I will bring it out...but not tonight,” he continued.

Warner said he feels his life is under threat and as such he has decided to make a video tape and give it to four lawyers--from the ILP, the People's National Movement (PNM), the Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) and his own private attorney.

Warner, a former FIFA Vice President , was taken to prison on Wednesday evening after appearing before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar in the Port of Spain Magistrates' Court following his surrender to Fraud Squad detectives earlier that day.

He is wanted in the United States on charges of fraud, racketeering and money laundering in that country and Trinidad and Tobago while holding the position of vice-president of FIFA. The indictment lists eight charges, but when Warner appeared before Ayers-Caesar, a total of 12 charges were read. The alleged offences occurred as far back as 1990.

He was released yesterday after supplying a proper deed to secure his $2.5 million bail.

Persad-Bissessar, when questioned by the media yesterday following the opening of the new Maloney Police Station, said she received no funding from Warner when she contested the United National Congress (UNC) internal election in 2010. She also denied receiving money from Warner for the 2010 general election or the 2013 Tobago House of Assembly election.

“I will tell you something--she lie,” said Warner last night in response to her comments. He said he will name all the contractors he and Persad-Bissessar went to.

Warner said in one case it was so “obscene” that he walked out and “Stacy (Roopnarine) walked in”.“All gloves are off, I remained silent for too long...they believe they could walk all over me,” said Warner.

Warner maintained he is innocent of the charges leveled against him by US authorities.He said if he's being accused of financial impropriety, then the question should be asked, who gave it (the money).

He said this issue was bigger than people in Trinidad and Tobago think. “Why is it only third world countries are charged?” he asked. He further questioned what was wrong in giving countries like Russia and Qatar the opportunity to host the World Cup. He said being from a third world country, he understood Qatar's position but, “the US felt they have the divine right to anything”.

He said that he cut all ties with FIFA four years ago. “If after four years they still can't forget Jack Warner something wrong,” he said. Warner said he was never questioned with respect to the charges made against him. “They never ask me once...charges...I Jack Warner know nothing about those charges, what our lawyers have done is tell them to prove it,” he said.

Calls from Panday/Dookeran

Warner said he was overwhelmed with calls and messages from all over the globe. But the two calls that touched his heart were from the Panday family—former prime minister Basdeo Panday, his wife Oma and daughter Mickela - and the second call from Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran and his wife. He disclosed that though he was depressed as he has never been to jail in his life, he thinks it is a “mark of honour” as he noted that Basdeo Panday, Nelson Mandela, Indira Gandhi and (Fidel) Castro all served time in jail. He said he received “Hyatt” treatment whilst in jail and showered praise and gratitude to the prison officers and deputy Prisons Commissioner.

Warner also slammed Attorney General Garvin Nicholas, whom he claimed signed extradition papers in 15 minutes. He said it took three months before extradition papers were signed for Ish Galbaransingh and Steve Ferguson.“How the hell after five years he can't ask the US to send back Calder Hart here,” said Warner.

Warner claimed everything that was happening was a plot by the Government to get rid of him. “I'm surprised that Keith (Rowley) didn't understand that,” said Warner, expressing disappointment over the comments Rowley made in an Express report.

He said the Government, “having killed Rowley” with his suspension from Parliament, was now turning on him.

Warner's return was an emotional one for his supporters as Josh Groban's “You Lift Me Up” was played on his entry. Warner noted the heavy media presence at last night's meeting, including the BBC.

"If to make one day jail cause that I should make two,” he joked.“Jack is alive and kicking. I want to tell you he will be with you to the end,” said Warner.

RELATED NEWS

Warner angry at prison time.
T&T Guardian Reports.

All bets off Kamla

Independent Liberal party (ILP) leader Jack Warner last night promised to expose all the wrongdoings of Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar’s People’s Partnership Government.

He made the comment as he appeared at an ILP meeting in Chaguanas hours after he walked out the Port-of-Spain prison having finally secured his bail.

“As of tonight, Kamla, all bets are off,” he told his supporters.

“Having jailed me, as of tonight all bets are off. Everything I have against Kamla I will bring it out. I have kept it too long.”

Warner spent the night in jail Wednesday as he was unable to secure bail in time following an appearance in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Court, in relation to charges brought against him by the US Department of Justice for activities as a former Fifa executive member.

Saying his experience over the past 24 hours had made him realise just how vindictive the PP Government was, a visibly upset Warner said he would take off all gloves in the build up to the election.

After using his signature phrase of ‘not tonight,’ Warner gave a glimpse of what was to come.

“Kamla said I never helped her financially but that is a lie,” he said. (See Page A6)

He alleged that he was party to campaign financing drives in which they visited contractors across the country in 2010, but said it “was so obscene” that he stayed outside as other party officials went to conduct the activity.

Stopping there, Warner said he felt as though his life was threatened and had made four video tapes which he would distribute to four lawyers.

“I will give one to a PNM lawyer, one to a ILP lawyer, one to a MSJ lawyer and one to my lawyer. They believe they could walk all over me because I have remained silent but Jack is alive and kicking.”

Warner also directly addressed the charges against him stemming from his tenure as Fifa vice-president and Concacaf and CFU president.

He denied being guilty of the charges levelled against him by the US Department of Justice.

“I have been in Fifa for 30 years and if I took that money, who gave it to me? Why are only officials in third world countries being charged?”

He said he was depressed in jail because he had never been to jail in his life. But he maintained there would be no government in this country without the ILP. He said his imprisonment was part of a bigger plan.

“There are people in this country and in Government who hate Jack Warner and want to see him imprisoned,” he said.

He also questioned the haste in which the extradition order was signed by Attorney General Garvin Nicholas.

“The charge came here and in 15 minutes Nicholas signed it. He never spoke to me, he never called to look at evidence. It took the AG three months to sign for Ish and Steve,” he said.

“He signed to send his countryman to the USA in chains. If Nicholas had his way I wouldn’t be here at all. Get rid of Rowley. Get rid of Warner, then call elections.”

'Jack's accountant bought foreign $$'
By Camini Marajh (Express).

The JTA Supermarket chain is the business interest currently engaging the attention of Uni­ted States law enforcement au­thorities, sources have disclosed.

The eight-count federal indict­­ment, which makes corruption allegations against former government minister Jack Warner, alleges the ex-FIFA vice-president diverted a "significant portion" of a US$10 million bribe to his private account in a local bank and "laundered the funds through accounts held in the name of a large supermarket chain and affiliated investment company in Trinidad".

Sources have identified the supermarket chain as JTA Supermarket and the affiliated company mentioned in the US- issued indictment against War-ner as JT Allum and Co Ltd.

Owner and director of the JTA Group Carl Mack yes­- ter­­day confirmed there were "some foreign currency pur­cha­ses" from Warner by the company's accountant, Kenny Rampersad.

As reported in a 12-part series published in this newspaper in 2013, Rampersad was also Warner's accountant-in-chief for myriad football entities, including Con­- cacaf, the regional confede- ration comprising North and Central America and the Caribbean; Caribbean Football Union (CFU); Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF); LOC Germany 2006 Ltd; and the disputed Centre of Excellence in Macoya. He was also the auditor for Concacaf.

Reached for comment, Mack said all of the foreign currency purchases from Warn­- er were done by his accountant, who also happened to be Warn- er's main man of business. He said the requisite source of funds declarations were made for all of the foreign exchange purchases from Warner.

Rampersad, best known for his role in producing four sets of conflicting TTFF financial state­ments in as many years, refused comment when contacted by the Express yesterday.

"I cannot speak now," he said when this reporter identified herself.

Told we were calling about foreign currency transactions related to the JTA group, Ram­persad said, "I said I cannot speak now!"

Pressed on the issue of JTA being mentioned in the indictment, he repeated his comment of being unable to speak and said only, "The timing is bad," before terminating the call.

As reported in our series, a minimum of $205.6 million in public and private sector funds was paid to the national football association, in support of the 2006 World Cup campaign.

The various Rampersad financial statements however painted a far more modest picture and reflected many discre­pancies, and more than a $100 million missing in World Cup income.

US$1.4m sent to grocery owner.
By Gail Alexander (Guardian).

US not keen on Jack’s Trini co-conspirator...

There has been no request by the US authorities for the extradition of anyone else from T&T besides Jack Warner, such as the Trinidadian supermarket chain businessman named in US court documents as “individual one” and who was alleged to be the person to whom Warner transferred US$1.4 million in 2008.

Attorney General Garvin Nicholas confirmed the situation yesterday following queries about the businessman described in the court documents as someone who also “controlled a real estate and investment company in T&T.”

Cheques totalling approximately the same $1.4 million amount and drawn on an account held in the name of Trinidadian Company B, a real estate and investment company also controlled by Individual 1, were deposited into a bank account held in the name of Warner and a family member at First Citizens Bank in T&T, according to the US court document.

The document stated that “individual one” and the companies the person controlled in T&T were known to the US grand jury.

Nicholas said T&T had issued a lot of information but would not detail aspects.

The 166-page court document concerns the US’ case against “The Fifa 14”, football world defendants,  on whom US authorities moved on Wednesday. The document lists Warner as the fifth person in the case.

The document was filed in the US (Eastern) District Court of New York since May 20 but was unsealed on Wednesday, the same day US authorities, who arrived in T&T recently,  began an application with T&T’s Central Authority for Warner’s extradition. Nicholas said the US had 60 days in which to do that.

The US case alleges that certain people and entities employed by and associated with Fifa, including the 14 defendants, used their positions within the enterprise to engage “in schemes involving the solicitation, offer, acceptance, payment and receipt of undisclosed and illegal payments, bribes, and kickbacks... the defendants and their co-conspirators corrupted the enterprise by engaging in various criminal activities, including fraud, bribery and money laundering, in pursuit of personal and commercial gain... to further their corrupt ends, the defendants and their co-conspirators provided one another with mutual aid and protection.”

The eight charges Warner has been indicted on pertain to various specific alleged issues in his football executive career.

The charges include racketeering, bribery, conspiring to devise a scheme to defraud the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) and obtain money/property by false/fraudulent pretences, money laundering by conspiring to transport, transmit/transfer funds from places in the US to places outside and wire fraud conspiracy and schemeing to defraud Fifa, Concacaf and the CFU.

The comprehensive document details the enterprise of Fifa, continental federations, regional federations and national associations, sports marketing companies, the defendants, co-conspirators, conspirators’ corruption of the enterprise and an overview of the racketeering conspiracy which allegedly occurred.

Other segments deal with scandal and resignations of Warner and another official, continued corruption of Fifa and obstruction of justice.

Another category deals with alleged criminal schemes concerning various football games in certain locations, including CFU World Cup qualifier “schemes”, the 2010 World Cup vote “scheme” and 2011 Fifa presidential election “schemes”. 

The document describes Warner as a T&T citizen and “between approximately 1993 and 2013, a legal permanent resident of the US.”

Contents mapped Warner’s operation in Fifa, including dealing with several of 25 co-conspirators listed in the document. Among them, for instance, the document stated that at various times, co-conspirator 14, “a relative of Warner,” was a businessman involved in, among things, a number of soccer-related ventures. It was alleged that Warner established and controlled in T&T and elsewhere, numerous bank accounts and corporate entities in which he mingled his personal assets and those of Concacaf, CFU and T&T Football Federation.”

BUSINESSMAN KNOWN BUT NOT CRITICAL TO CASE

In the issue concerning the Trinidadian businessman, the document claimed that in/about 2004, Fifa’s executive committee considered bids from Morocco, South Africa and Egypt, as well as other nations that withdrew before the vote to host the 2010 World Cup. The document alleged that “previously, Warner and his family had cultivated ties with South African soccer officials in connection with and subsequent to a failed bid by South Africa to host the 2006 World Cup.

It alleged that “in early 2000s, co-conspirator 14, a member of Warner’s family, had used Warner’s South African contacts to organise friendly matches for Concacaf teams to play in South Africa.

It claimed at one point Warner also directed co-conspirator 14 to fly to Paris, France and accept a briefcase containing bundles of US currency in $10,000 stacks in a hotel room from co-conspirator 15 a high-ranking South Africa bid committee official.

It claimed “hours after arriving in Paris, co-conspirator 14 boarded a return flight and carried the briefcase back to T&T where they provided it to Warner.”

It also claimed that in the months before the selection of the host nation for the 2010 World Cup, scheduled to be done in May 2004, Warner and co-conspirator one travelled to Morocco, as they had done in 1992 in advance of the voting for the 1998 World Cup host.

While in Morocco during the 2004 trip, it alleged that a representative of the Moroccan bid committee offered to pay $1 million to Warner in exchange for his agreement to cast his secret ballot on the Fifa executive committee for Morocco to host the 2010 World Cup.“Subsequently co-conspirator one learned from Warner that high Fifa officials, the South African Government and the South Africa bid committee, including co-conspirator 16, were prepared to arrange for the SA Government to pay $10 million to CFU  to “support the African diaspora.”

The document alleged:  “Co-conspirator one understood the offer to be in exchange for the agreement of Warner, conspirator one and also 17 to all vote for South Africa rather than Morocco to host the 2010 World Cup.

Warner indicated that he had accepted the offer and to co-conspirator one that he would give a $1 million portion of the $10 million payment to co-conspirator one.”

In Fifa’s committee vote on May 15, 2004, South Africa was selected over Morocco and Egypt to host the 2010 match.

Warner, co conspirator one and 17 indicated they voted for South Africa. In the months and years after the vote co-conspirator oner periodically asked Warner about the status of the $10 million payment.

“On January 2, 2008, January 31, 2008 and March 7, 2008, a high-ranking Fifa official caused payments of $616,000, $1.6 million and $7.7 million, totalling $10 million, to be wired from a Fifa account in Switzerland to a Bank of America account in New York for credit to the accounts held in the names of CFU and Concacaf, but controlled by Warner at Republic Bank in T&T,” the document alleged. “Soon after receiving  these wire transfers, Warner caused a substantial portion of the funds to be diverted for his personal use.

“January 9, 2008, Warner directed Republic Bank officials to apply $200,000 of the $616,000 that had been transferred into a CFU account from Fifa one week earlier towards a personal loan account held in his name.”

The document alleged Warner also diverted a portion of the funds into his personal accounts by “laundering the funds through intermediaries.”

It added: “During the period from January 16, 2008 to March 27, 2008, Warner caused approximately $1.4 million of the $10 million to be transferred to Individual one, a Trinidadian businessman whose identity is known to the grand jury and Trinidadian Company A, a large supermarket chain in T&T controlled by individual one.

“Weeks later, cheques totalling approximately the same amount and drawn on an account held in the name of Trinidadian Company B, real estate and investment company also controlled by individual one, were deposited into a bank account held in the name of Warner and a family member at First Citizens Bank in T&T.”

The document stated the identities of Trinidadian Company A and Trinidadian Company B are known to the (US) grand jury.

It alleged that during the three years following Warner’s receipt of the $10 million from Fifa, he made three payments to co-conspirator one ,totalling over $750,000 in partial payment of the $1 million that Warner had earlier promised that person as part of the bribe scheme.

The first payment, $$298,500,  made by wire transfer, went on/about December 19 2008 from an account held in the name of CFU at Republic Bank, T&T, to a Bank of America correspondent account in NY for credit to an account  controlled by co-conspirator one at a Cayman Islands bank.

The second payment, $205,000, was made by cheque drawn on an account held in the name of CFU at Republic Bank, T&T. It is alleged that on/about September 27, 2010, co-conspirator one caused the cheque to be deposited into his Merrill Lynch brokerage account in NY. “Approximately one month earlier, on or about August 23, 2010, Warner sent an email to co-conspirator one to advise him that the payment was forthcoming.”

The third payment, $250,000, was made by cheque drawn in CFU’s name at Republic Bank, T&T. The cheque was delivered to co-conspirator one by another individual who travelled by airplane from T&T to JFK in NY and then to Concacaf’s head office in NY, where he delivered the cheque to co-conspirator one.

It was claimed that approximately two months earlier,  March 13, 2011, Warner sent an email to co-conspirator one to advise him that another payment was forthcoming but the document stated that co-conspirator one “never received the balance of the promised $1 million payment...”

US: Jack facilitated bribes
By Andre Bagoo (Newsday).
Friday, May 29 2015

IN 2011, Jack Warner’s message to a whistle-blower was clear. “There are some people here who think they are more pious than thou,” he said on May 11, 2011, according to court documents unsealed this week. “If you’re pious, open a church, friends. Our business is our business.”

Warner was speaking to meeting he called which has been tied to a 2011 FIFA presidential election scheme facilitated by him, according to the indictment filed this month in the United States Eastern District Court of New York against Warner and others.

The document states while Warner was a sitting member of the Trinidad and Tobago Cabinet he facilitated the now infamous meeting held at the plush Hyatt Regency in 2011 in the lead-up to that year’s FIFA presidential election.

“The purpose of the $40,000 payments was to induce officials of the CFU member associations, including Official #1, to vote for co-conspirator #7 in the June 1, 2011 FIFA presidential election,” the indictment states. “The defendant Jack Warner participated in the scheme by organizing the CFU meeting on May 10 and May 11, 2011, and by facilitating the $40,000 payment to each of the CPU officials in attendance.” The document details the events leading up to, during and after the meeting.

It states, “In or about March 2011, co-conspirator #7 declared himself to be a candidate in the FIFA presidential election scheduled for June 1, 2011. At the time, co-conspirator #7 was a high-ranking official at FIFA and AFC. In accordance with the FIFA statues, the president of FIFA was elected by the FIFA congress, which was composed of representatives from each of the 200+ FIFA member associations.” After he got an email, Warner agreed to organise the “meeting”. On or about April 28, 2011, $363,537.98 was wired to a football account controlled by Warner.

States the indictment, “The CFO meeting took place on May 10 and May 11, 2011 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Trinidad and Tobago. The meeting was attended by the presidents and other officials representing the CFO member-associations, including high-ranking officials of the Puerto Rico Football Federation and the U.S. Virgin Islands Football Federation, whose identities are known to the Grand Jury.”

Then, on May 10, 2011, “co-conspirator #7 addressed the member associations regarding his candidacy, stating, among other things, that he was seeking their support in the June 1, 2011, FIFA presidential election. Following co-conspirator #7’s address, the defendant Jack Warner advised the CFO officials that they could pick up a ‘gift’ that afternoon at a conference room in the hotel.” The gift was collected by attendees.

Says the document, “During the afternoon of May 10, 2011, certain CFU officials, including an official of one of the member associations of a United States territory (Official #1), went

to the appointed conference room, as directed by the defendant Jack Warner. The officials were instructed by CFU staff members in the room to enter the room one at a time. Inside the room,

CFU staff handed each official an envelope bearing the name of the member association that he represented. Inside each envelope was $40,000 in United States currency.” Warner discussed the gift the following day.

“The following day, May 11, 2011, the defendant Jack Warner convened a meeting of the CFU officials prior to the scheduled start time. At the meeting Warner stated that the U.S. currency the members had received was from co-conspirator #7, and that Warner had advised co-conspirator #7 to allow CFU staff to distribute the money so that it would not, ‘even remotely appear that anybody has any obligation for your vote because of what gift you have given them.’”

According to the indictment, Warner was also angry that someone had contacted Concacaf offices at New York to inform them of the gift.

The indictment further states, “On or about July 14, 2011, after the scheme had been uncovered the defendant Jack Warner resigned from his soccer-related positions.”

The document states for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers a company called Traffic USA was to pay CFU $2.2 million for media rights. Upon Warner’s request, on or about June 1, 2005, Traffic

USA executives wired $40,000 from an account at Citibank in Miami, Florida to a correspondent account at Wachovia Bank, for further credit to the LOC Germany 2006 Limited account at First

Citzens Bank in Trinidad and Tobago.

Five days later, on or about June 6, 2005, Warner transferred $40,000 from the LOC Germany 2006 Limited account to another bank account held in his name.

“As part of this scheme and in order to ensure that TTFF would continue to receive payments from Traffic USA related to the TTFF contracts, the defendant Jack Warner concealed the existence of the TTFF contracts from the CFU member-associations,” the document states.

Jennings tweets Blatter is a target.
T&T Newsday Reports.

Scottish investigative reporter, Andrew Jennings, revealed via his Twitter account yesterday that FIFA president Sepp Blatter is also on the watch-list even though the Swiss national pledged his complete innocence at the sport’s governing body annual meeting in Zurich.

Jennings, a world renowned journalist who specialises on corrupt practices at FIFA and the International Olympic Committee (IOC), tweeted at approximately 6am (TT Time) yesterday morning, “I gave the FBI the crucial documents that triggered yesterday’s arrests. There will be more to come. Blatter is a target.”

Jennings was commenting in relation to Wednesday’s indictment of 15 former and current FIFA executives, inclusive of CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb and former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, and four convicted defendants - which also comprises of Warner’s two sons, Daryan and Darryl Warner.

This groundbreaking revelation saw Jennings’ statement retweeted approximately 4200 times. Blatter, however, has put on a brave face amidst the scandal enveloping FIFA though, pleading his innocence and lauding the ongoing investigation by the United States Department of Justice and Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

“I know many people hold me ultimately responsible (but) I cannot monitor everyone all the time,” said a sombre Blatter yesterday.