Warner blames TTFF for missing accounts
By Lasana Liburd (wired868)Works Minister and ex-FIFA Vice President Jack Warner will allegedly test the patience and temperament of High Court Judge Devindra Rampersad by claiming ignorance of all Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) financial matters in the Germany 2006 World Cup bonus dispute between 13 past and present national players, the TTFF and its former President Oliver Camps.
Warner disregarded a 10 February 2012 deadline by Justice Rampersad to file and serve written accounts of all income, donations, gifts, grants or benefits whatsoever and all expenditure arising from the World Cup. His accounting statement should have been the key item for debate when the three parties meet tomorrow in a Port of Spain court room.
However, a TTFF insider informed Wired868.com that Warner delivered a letter to its office on the evening of 9 February 2012, which suggested that the Chaguanas West MP had no knowledge of the requested accounting data.
His letter, according to the source, claimed that he handed over all relevant information to the local football body when he resigned last June.
Warner's stance is said to be unnerving the TTFF. The football body had all its removable assets seized on 8 February 2012 after failing to make an interim award of $4.6 million (US$724,000).
Warner was still TTFF special advisor when the "Soca Warriors" received their only payment to date—an interim payment of $7,040,000 (US$1.1 million). The money was paid to the players last May; just days after Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Mohamed Bin Hammam visited Trinidad to garner support for his FIFA Presidential election bid.
The 13 World Cup players are Kenwyne Jones, Shaka Hislop, Stern John, Brent Sancho, Kelvin Jack, Collin Samuel, Avery John, Aurtis Whitley, Cyd Gray, Cornell Glen, David Atiba Charles, Evans Wise and Anthony Wolfe.
A month later, FIFA expelled Bin Hammam for bribing Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials at the controversial meeting in Port of Spain and Warner quit all football posts on 20 June 2011 while FIFA was investigating his role in the bribery scandal.
Warner's new denial regarding the bonus dispute, if confirmed, contradicts previous affidavits from himself and ex-TTFF President Oliver Camps. He also runs the risk of vexing Justice Rampersad, who declined the option of joining Warner to the case after accepting his word that he would deliver the vital documents.
On 24 August 2011, two months after Warner quit all football posts, Camps told the High Court that the TTFF was still in the dark about all financial matters that involved its special advisor, which included over $173 million in funding from the public and private sector.
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