The Jack Warner Thread.

[Jumbie]

   the irony

[Deeks]

"It was in 2013 Mr Warner brought to the attention of FCB Limited the fact that 36 cheques drawn on his account amounting to the total sum of $1,940,385.00 were honoured by the bank. On all of these cheques, the signature of Mr Warner was forged by one of his employees.

Jack, you take we for an arse or what ? Who is that employee? You is the man who knew everyone's business. Ah wonder if camps has anything to do with that?

[Tallman]

Those believing it is only a matter of time before arch FIFA rogue Jack Warner, who faces multiple football corruption charges, appears in court in the United States are going to have a long wait.
 
Warner has instigated a judicial review of Trinidad's extradition policy that is going to take six years — and then there is a further nine years of appeal procedure for the 73-year-old to exploit.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3573940/FA-set-bail-Gianni-Infantino-FIFA-president-s-rash-election-pledges.html

[Brownsugar]

Ah stop by Center of Excellence today to use the ABM on the compound and wondered where we old friend is these days.....ah kinda missing him.....well de bachanal that comes with him really.......aaaahhhh the good old days......*sigh*

[Flex]

Judge rules in Jack’s favour.
By Derek Achong (Guardian).

Warner wins round one in extradition fight

In a small legal victory for former Fifa vice-president Jack Warner, a local judge has refused the United States government permission to join the judicial review lawsuit brought by Warner challenging Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi’s decision to sign off on an extradition request from the Justice Department.

Barack Obama’s Attorney General Loretta Lynch is seeking to have him extradited to face charges in the ongoing Fifa bribery scandal.

Delivering an oral decision in the Port-of-Spain High Court yesterday afternoon, Justice James Aboud dismissed the US’s application to join the judicial review lawsuit.

While Aboud ruled that the US had an interest in the outcome of the case before him, he said that its interest would be adequately dealt with by the Office of the Attorney General.

“Its position as an affected party is not compromised by its exclusion because its interest and the AG’s appear to be identical,” Aboud said.

He also ruled that the US would not “bring anything to the table” in the case as it admitted that it only wished to make legal submissions in the case.

“The applicant will not be bringing to court any different perspective or new evidence as to make its contribution useful,” Aboud said.

As part of his ruling Aboud ordered the US to pay Warner’s legal costs for defending its failed application.

Speaking briefly with reporters after leaving the Hall of Justice in Port-of-Spain, Warner said he was happy with the decision, which he described as a “victory for the sovereignty of T&T”.

“Ironically the US has to pay me. It’s long overdue,” Warner said.

Questions over procedure adopted AG’s office

Warner, in his claim, is questioning the procedure adopted by the Office of the Attorney General in signing off on the US’s request for his extradition made in May, last year, at the end of the US Department of Justice’s investigation into Fifa. He is facing fraud and money-laundering charges related to his two decades as a senior official of world football’s governing body.

Earlier this year, Aboud granted Warner a stay of his ongoing extradition proceedings currently before Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar, which will expire after Aboud decides on the legality and constitutionality of his extradition.

Warner’s attorneys are alleging that this country’s extradition treaty with the US contradicts the Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act. They are claiming that, in passing the act, Parliament afforded citizens certain protections which are ignored by the international treaty.

He is also complaining that Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi failed to give his attorneys a fair opportunity to make representations to him before he signed off on the Authority to Proceed, which was required to kick off the proceedings before Ayers-Caesar.

Shortly after taking over the case from his predecessor Garvin Nicholas in September, last year, Al-Rawi extended the option to Warner. However, his attorneys allegedly refused as they said it was made a day before Al-Rawi was required to approve the extradition.

Warner is also being represented by Fyard Hosein, SC, Nyree Alfonso, Rishi Dass and Anil Maraj, while the State is being represented by Douglas Mendes, SC, and Michael Quamina. Vanessa Gopaul and Theresa Hadad represented the US.

The US Justice Department is making a legal bid to have a say on a preliminary aspect of its case, in which it seeks to extradite Warner to face charges, in a US court, on alleged corruption in FIFA. That is the wider case. The preliminary matter is Warner’s challenging the standing of the T&T Attorney General to assent to the extradition request. The Justice Department said it has a vested interest in any issue related Warner's extradition. The judge saw no need for the US authorities to get involved at this point. It does not necessarily signify that Warner will win his fight against extradition. If Warner loses this challenge, the extradition proceedings will restart.

The US now has two weeks to decide if it wants to appeal Aboud's decision. Warner's lawsuit continues on July 13 when attorneys will present submissions on a procedural application for Warner to call several foreign witnesses to testify in the case. A date yet to be set for the trial.

[trini_stallion]

I feel Jack is 'The Man,' this guy untouchable!

[E-man]

From today's Frankfurter Allgemeine:

http://m.faz.net/aktuell/sport/fussball/wm-2006-skandal-ok-zahlte-auf-dubioses-jack-warner-konto-14124202.html

German federation said to have deposited €56,469 euros to an account not affiliated to the then TTFF.

E-man?

Been a while since I had a chance to keep up with this. Been busy with a home reno.
Anyway it says in 2006 the TTFF returned 946 World Cup tickets to various matches they had been allotted to the FIFA ticket office. Those tickets were then transferred to the German WC 2006 Organizing Committee to resell to the general public. Then sometime in 2007 the OC paid the money into a T&T based account named "LOC Germany" which was not associated with TTFF but a branch of CONCACAF (or perhaps Concacaf which we know was Warner's own version) The amount for the tickets seems fair, but a representative of the Germany OC is trying to say they didn't recognize the account was unofficial.

[Sando prince]

US govt appeals judge’s ruling *
Attorneys blocked in Warner judicial review lawsuit

http://www.trinidadexpress.com/20160704/news/us-govt-appeals-judge8217s-ruling

THE United States government has appealed the decision of a High Court judge who refused to allow the USA to be heard in a judicial review lawsuit brought by former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, challenging his extradition to that country.
The appeal was filed by attorneys representing the US government and was listed to be heard at the Court of Appeal in Port of Spain yesterday, but the hearing was subsequently adjourned to July 18.

The decision being challenged is that of Justice James Aboud, who ruled on June 17 that the judicial review lawsuit dealt with issues that were strictly domestic and did not warrant the participation of the USA.

[Tallman]

Warner: Havelange changed football for ever
fourfourtwo.com

Despite allegations of impropriety staining his legacy, ex-FIFA chief Joao Havelange should be fondly remembered according to Jack Warner.

Disgraced former football official Jack Warner has paid a heartfelt tribute to former FIFA president Joao Havelange, who died aged 100 in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday.

Havelange served as FIFA president between 1974 and 1998, during which time he transformed world football's governing body into a financial powerhouse through a succession of lucrative television rights and sponsorship deals.

He oversaw the expansion of the World Cup finals from 16 to 32 nations and secured a powerbase in football's developing nations that was also enjoyed by his successor Sepp Blatter.

Like Blatter and Warner, Havelange's career was also dogged by controversy and allegations of impropriety.

In 2013, he stepped down from his position as FIFA's honorary president following an investigation into bribery allegations, with the organisation's ethics judge Hans-Joachim Eckert describing Havelange's conduct as "morally and ethically reproachable".

But Warner gushed in praise of a former colleague he credited with changing the fortunes of football comprehensively.

In a statement, he said: "Today world football has lost a friend. I dreaded this day. The man who changed the face of football for ever, saved it from ignominy and transformed it into the beautiful game is no more.

"When Dr Joao Havelange ascended, the football throne the sport was virtually bankrupt but by the time he left, it had become the most affluent sport in the global village.

"He was one of the most progressive thinkers who was never starved for ideas and the quantum leap that took place in the sport was as a result of his vision which he shared even after he officially took his exit from football."

Warner went on to specifically mention the CONCACAF Centre of Excellence named in Havelange's honour in Macoya – the complex that has been a huge source of controversy in Caribbean football.

Despite allegations to the contrary, Warner maintains the facility was a gift from Havelange that is owned by the Caribbean Football Union and not himself.

"His greatest contribution to Caribbean football is the gift of the Centre of Excellence in Macoya that he gave to the Warner family, which carries his name and which, ironically, is now a point of contention in our courts," Warner's statement continued.

"But what he has achieved has left no doubt in anyone's mind, no suspicion among those he touched and no misgiving among those who benefited from his stewardship.

"To his immediate family, my family and I do express our condolences. After 100 years my friend will most certainly rest in peace."

[Deeks]

RIP Havelange. Did not know that.

[Tallman]

WATCH: How Jack Warner stole millions (and possibly sent USA to the World Cup)

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/bzlT6CCbIR0" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/bzlT6CCbIR0</a>

[Deeks]

The hack down in the US area should have been a pk.

[royal]

it was not Jack position to drive from Fyzabad that was Cummings. And yes everybody new that was a penalty except the referee. 

[Tallman]

Mistrust: US wants its lawyers in Jack lawsuit
By Rickie Ramdass (T&T Express)

THE United States Government is taking no chances when it comes to its interests being represented in a judicial review lawsuit filed by former FIFA vice-president Jack Warner, who is challenging the legality of the procedure being used to extradite him to that country.

So much so, that British Queen's Counsel James Lewis told a three-judge panel at the Court of Appeal in Port of Spain today that his client did not have total confidence in the Office of the Attorney General to properly present the United States' argument before Justice James Aboud before whom the lawsuit is being heard at the High Court.

The attorney made the submission as he addressed the court in an appeal filed by the US Government after Aboud dismissed an application earlier this year in which the United States was seeking to become a party to the judicial review proceedings.

In his judgment delivered in June, Justice Aboud had stated that even though the proceedings was relative to Warner's extradition, the issue up for determination was strictly domestic and, as such, did not warrant the participation of the United States.

The judge had said that it was his opinion that the US could not make any useful input in the proceedings that could assisting the court in arriving at the proper and correct decision.

Aboud had noted that the United States' case was being presented by the Attorney General's Office and that he was unaware of what the United States could say differently from the AG's Office.

“It cannot be to say the same thing differently. Is the AG's position different from the US? Does the AG want the US to say something he won't say? It must be able to offer something more than repetition,” Aboud had said.

Warner's claim challenges the Authority to Proceed (ATP) which was signed last September by Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi, which gave Chief Magistrate Marcia Ayers-Caesar the greenlight to begin committal proceedings. He is also challenging the legality of the Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act, and the Treaty signed between this country and the United States. He is contending that the parts of the treaty does not conform with certain sections of the Extradition Act.

At today's hearing which was presided over by Chief Justice Ivor Archie, and Justices of Appeal Allan Mendonca and Peter Jamadar, Lewis said the United States is directly affected by the proceedings and, given this, has a right to be heard as a separate party even though its interest is being represented by the AG's Office.

“Is it that you do not trust the Attorney General to represent your interest?” asked Archie.

“Well that is one way of putting it,” Lewis responded. “You cannot just trust your interest to be made by someone else. He may concede on an area that we would not and that is why we have a right to be there to make sure our interest and argument is properly put forward,” he added.

Lewis added that the court was dealing with “a high level and complex procedure that has never been argued before” and which will have an impact on all other extradition matters between this country to the United States. “That is why the court should welcome all assistance available. This is not a simple run-of-the-mill matter,” Lewis stated.

Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein who leads a team of attorneys on behalf of Warner labelled Lewis's statement that his client did not fully trust the Office of the Attorney General to properly represent its interest as “ very powerful one” given the arrangement between the two nations.

After listening to close to four hours of submissions from attorneys representing both sides, the court reserved its ruling to a date that is yet to be announced.

[Tallman]

CONCACAF sues 2 ex-officials charged in FIFA bribery scandal
Associated Press

North America's soccer federation has filed a lawsuit claiming it was victimized by two defendants charged in the FIFA bribery scandal.

In papers filed earlier this week in federal court in Brooklyn, the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football accuses former FIFA officials Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer of making a fortune through embezzlement — allegations that mirror those in a sprawling U.S. criminal investigation that has resulted in charges against several top soccer officials.

The suit accuses the pair of negotiating bribes and kickbacks in connection with lucrative broadcasting rights for tournaments including CONCACAF's Gold Cup championship.

"There can be no doubt that Warner and Blazer victimized CONCACAF, stealing and defrauding it out of tens of millions of dollars in brazen acts of corruption for their own personal benefit at the expense of the entire CONCACAF region," the suit says.

The suit seeks $20 million in compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages.

Blazer has pleaded guilty and cooperated in the criminal probe. One of his attorneys in that case declined comment on Friday.

Warner is fighting extradition in Trinidad and Tobago, where he's denied any wrongdoing.

FIFA, international soccer's governing body, filed a restitution claim last year in the criminal case that similarly portrayed it as a victim of the defendants.

"Their actions have deeply tarnished the FIFA brand and impaired FIFA's ability to use its resources for positive actions throughout the world, and to meet its global mission of supporting and enhancing the game of football, commonly known in the United States as soccer," it says.

The claim includes a demand for tens of millions in payments, including $10 million it says was stolen by Warner, Blazer and others.

[Flex]

Warner to sue CONCACAF, Gulati for US$40M.
T&T Newsday Reports.

Former FIFA vice-president, Jack Warner, is set for a legal showdown with CONCACAF after instructing his attorney Keith Scotland to file a US$40 million lawsuit against CONCACAF and United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati.

Warner, who is currently banned from all football-related activities falling under FIFA, is suing “for the persistent defamation of my character.” On Friday, it was reported that CONCACAF was suing Warner and ex-CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer for US$20 million, alleging the pair negotiated bribes and kickbacks in connection with lucrative broadcasting rights for tournaments.

But Warner, in a press release yesterday afternoon, dismissed the allegations, saying the accusations being made “have been repetitive and ancient” and questioned why he is being targeted by football’s regional authorities.

“I have left the CONCACAF since 2011. Why the CONCACAF will not leave my family and me alone is simply mind-boggling. CONCACAF football is at its lowest today and the current threat to sue Warner and Blazer for 20 million US is nothing more than a distraction to shift its pathetic current state away from the management of this Confederation,” he said.

He believes the lawsuit against him stems from “vindictiveness” due to the inability of the USA to acquire the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup which was awarded to Qatar.

“All these false allegations filed in an American court simply because the USA did not obtain the votes to host a FIFA World Cup will fall to nought,” he said, while adding Gulati and other CONCACAF officials may have something to hide.

“I have my name to protect and my family to defend and that I will do to the very end.

I have been slaughtered for the past six years and have remained silent ignoring my legal options to respond to the atrocities that have been perpetrated against me by men of the lower ilk. And so the time has come for me to respond,” he said.

Warner vehemently defended his tenure at CONCACAF which lasted over 20 years but ended when he resigned in the midst of a cash-for-votes scandal in 2011.

“I left CONCACAF (in 2011) located in the prestigious Trump Tower with millions of dollars in its bank account and sub offices in Guatemala City and Port of Spain. When I assumed office in 1990, it was virtually impossible for the many teams in CONCACAF to represent the region at FIFA World Cups, since we were only allocated one team. By the time I left office, three and a half teams had the opportunity to represent the Confederation every FIFA World Cup,” he said.

[maxg]

“When backed into a corner, a victim has two options: he can lie down and die, or, he can fight regardless of the odds.”

― Marc Schiller, Pain and Gain - The Untold True Story

[asylumseeker]

WATCH
Domestic TV coverage of Garcia Report release.

https://www.tv6tnt.com/news/7pmnews/fifa-releases-world-cup-report/article_096fe31c-5b9d-11e7-a507-0760464ed3e5.html

[Sando prince]

Jack Warner extradition on hold

http://newsday.co.tt/2018/02/19/jack-warner-extradition-on-hold/

FORMER Fifa vice-president Jack Warner has been successful in having extradition committal proceedings against him put on hold until he has an opportunity to appeal Justice James Aboud’s ruling, which cleared the way for the start of the magisterial proceedings.

Justice of Appeal Mark Mohammed on Monday granted the stay until Warner’s appeal is heard in November.

Mohammed presided over Warner’s application in a Chamber Court hearing.

In September, Aboud threw out Warner’s judicial review claim challenging his extradition to the United States, where he is wanted on charges for a series of fraud-related offences allegedly committed during his tenure as vice-president of world football’s governing body, FIFA.

In his ruling, Aboud recognised that though there were minor inconsistencies between the Extradition Treaty and Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act, the treaty was not part of the domestic law.

“Neither the Attorney General nor the magistrate is legally bound by any of its provisions.

“Every accused person is entitled to the due-process protections in our legislation,” he held.

Aboud said if a warrant of extradition was signed by the AG, it would be in accordance with domestic law, not the treaty.

“The officer who grants it is a judicial authority who will apply the domestic law and not the treaty,” he said.

Warner is represented by Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein and attorneys Anil Maraj and Sasha Bridgemohansingh.

[Sando prince]

^^^ well boi I could have predicted this 

[Deeks]

This legal mafia in TT is terrifying.

[Flex]

Jack Warner wants his $15m.
By Ryan Bachoo (T&T Guardian)

For­mer FI­FA vice pres­i­dent, Jack Warn­er, is set to sue the T&T Foot­ball As­so­ci­a­tion (TTFA) for $15.7 mil­lion af­ter claim­ing the debt was writ­ten off at a board meet­ing. Speak­ing on the Morn­ing Brew yes­ter­day as part of a pan­el dis­cus­sion on the state of foot­ball in this coun­try, Warn­er told host Hema Ramkissoon, he in­tends to en­ter le­gal pro­ceed­ings this com­ing week.

“The lit­i­ga­tion the TTFA is fac­ing now is a joke to what is com­ing up be­cause they sat down in a meet­ing and they agreed to just, out of the blue, with­draw a loan they had on their books for some 15 years for some $15 mil­lion to Jack Warn­er,” he said.

TTFA pres­i­dent, David John-Williams, would nei­ther con­firm nor de­ny yes­ter­day whether Warn­er’s claim was cor­rect. He told Guardian Me­dia Sports, “The on­ly thing I would say on that mat­ter is that Ray­mond Tim Kee wrote to Mr Jack Warn­er in 2015 say­ing that the TTFA owes him $15.7 mil­lion – a copy of that let­ter I do have – and Jack Warn­er is su­ing the TTFA based on that let­ter.” Pressed fur­ther for an an­swer whether Warn­er’s debt was tak­en off the books as he al­leges, John-Williams said he would not be drawn in­to the con­tro­ver­sy “be­cause there will be a time in the com­ing weeks where I have to put every­thing on the ta­ble”.

The TTFA head said Tim Kee’s let­ter was based on an unau­dit­ed fi­nan­cial state­ment in 2012.

It was a rev­e­la­tion that came two weeks af­ter for­mer TTFA pres­i­dent, Ray­mond Tim Kee, said dur­ing a press con­fer­ence he left a debt of $14 mil­li­on when he ex­it­ed of­fice. Tim Kee backpedalled yes­ter­day dur­ing a phone con­ver­sa­tion with Guardian Me­dia Sports when asked about the in­con­sis­tent debt fig­ures that came from dif­fer­ent sources. When asked by Guardian Me­dia Sports if the debt he spoke off dur­ing the press con­fer­ence did not in­clude what is owed to Warn­er, Tim Kee said, “Yes, there are cer­tain debts that I did not in­clude in that $14 mil­lion. That $14 mil­lion were some debts with some more or less, small peo­ple with whom I had a con­ver­sa­tion, and we had agreed that when get­ting the mon­ey we were go­ing to pay them.”

The for­mer TTFA pres­i­dent al­so said a fig­ure in the range of $150 thou­sand is owed to him and was not in­clud­ed in the debt he pre­sent­ed at the press con­fer­ence. He went fur­ther to ad­vise, “When you are in­volved in foot­ball at an ex­ec­u­tive lev­el, don’t make the mis­take and spend your own mon­ey… We have a ten­den­cy to put your hands in your pock­et to re­cov­er when sit­u­a­tions change but what I have found is that when you do that there are ques­tions peo­ple ask, and the ques­tion is whether you want to go through that with all the al­le­ga­tions.”

Tim Kee was then asked if he felt, ac­cord­ing to his state­ment, when Warn­er gave of his per­son­al fi­nances, that there was a risk of him not get­ting it back. He re­spond­ed by say­ing, “I didn’t bear any in­ten­tion not to pay the debt, that’s why I paid the amount I did. I paid 27 peo­ple from 48… so my phi­los­o­phy is to pay the debt.” How­ev­er, the for­mer TTFA pres­i­dent, who served be­tween 2012 and 2015, said he opt­ed to pay the small­er cred­i­tors be­cause they need­ed it more ur­gent­ly.

Warn­er’s de­ci­sion to take le­gal ac­tion was met with im­me­di­ate op­po­si­tion by the Morn­ing Brew pan­el of for­mer T&T foot­baller Brent San­cho, and for­mer Cale­do­nia AIA chair­man, Louis Lee Sing.

The lat­ter said, “Not be­cause some­thing that was not in the best in­ter­est of the game hap­pened un­der his stew­ard­ship should we en­cour­age it in the now. Times have changed.” San­cho, on the oth­er hand, re­marked, “Let foot­ball stop air­ing their dirty linen in pub­lic. It’s un­for­tu­nate to hear that Mr Warn­er is go­ing to con­tin­ue in this vein of crush­ing the fed­er­a­tion.”

[Deeks]

Tim Kee for president is a non-starter.

[asylumseeker]

Tim Kee for president is a non-starter.

As in whether he could muster sufficient support or in terms of whether that would be progressive?

[Mad Scorpion a/k/a Big Bo$$]

Don't know if I'm in the minority or not but to me Tim Kee did a lot with very little and helped brought our programmes back to life. So for me I have no opposition to a return of RTK. I used to read the complaints about him wondering if people were really considering the hurdles he had to doing his job.

[Deeks]

Tim Kee for president is a non-starter.

As in whether he could muster sufficient support or in terms of whether that would be progressive?

Whether he could muster the support. I am not sure the majority of the members have buyer's remorse after the last election.

[Deeks]

Heard Jack lost extradition appeal!

[pull stones]

Heard Jack lost extradition appeal!

he will appeal again, that’s all. I seriously doubt that jack would see the inside of a jail anytime soon.

[Flex]

US judge awards upwards of $20m in Warner’s absence.
By Jada Loutoo (Newsday).

Concacaf goes after former football boss

FORMER North American soccer confederation president Austin “Jack” Warner, accused of taking millions in bribes and kickbacks, was found in default, on Monday , in a US$20 million lawsuit against him by Concacaf which accused him and fellow FIFA official Chuck Blazer of making a fortune through embezzlement.

US District judge William F c**tz entered judgement against Warner, who is facing extradition to the US in a separate criminal case, on Monday. Warner never responded to the lawsuit by Concacaf after he was served with it in October 2017. c**tz granted Concacaf’s motion for default judgement against Warner, with no opposition, as he was unrepresented in court. The lawsuit, filed in April 2017, mirrored allegations in the US indictment that resulted in charges against several top football officials.

Concacaf’s case against Warner and Blazer accused the two of making a fortune through embezzlement – allegations that mirror those in a sprawling US criminal investigation that has resulted in charges against several top football officials. The suit accused the pair of negotiating bribes and kickbacks in connection with lucrative broadcasting rights for tournaments including Concacaf’s Gold Cup championship.

“There can be no doubt that Warner and Blazer victimised Concacaf, stealing and defrauding it out of tens of millions of dollars in brazen acts of corruption for their own personal benefit at the expense of the entire Concacaf region,” the suit said. Both men were banned from FIFA for life.

It also sought US$20 million in compensatory damages and unspecified punitive damages. It includes the cost of the Centre of Excellence, which is also the focus of a separate claim in the local courts.

Blazer, Warner’s co-defendant, a former Concacaf general secretary, reached a plea agreement stemming from the criminal indictment for which Warner is facing extradition on allegations of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering.

Blazer died in July 2017, and his estate settled with Concacaf for US$20 million, but the confederation said it was unlikely to recover the money because of unpaid taxes and another US court’s ruling that the estate was insolvent.

In TT, Concacaf filed yet another lawsuit against Warner, in his personal capacity and as a partner in the firm Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence; the centre itself; Renraw Investments Ltd and CCAN and Company, also in its personal capacity as partners in the centre; Warner’s wife Maureen; and accountant Kenny Rampersad and his company.

That lawsuit, being heard by Justice Robin Mohammed, seeks compensation for the misappropriation of funds with respect to the ownership and use of the Centre of Excellence (COE) complex in Macoya.

Concacaf is seeking to recover its assets and hearing of an application by Renraw, CCAM and Maureen Warner to have the claim against them struck out came up before Mohammed yesterday at the Hall of Justice in Port of Spain. It is the companies’ and Mrs Warner’s contention that the claim is statute-barred and cannot go forward.

Making the case for them was Senior Counsel Fyard Hosein, who argued that Concacaf’s claim against the three parties should be dismissed as it was “generalised and lacking in particulars and direction.”

Mohammed is expected to rule on the applications at a later date.

According to the TT claim, Warner and Blazer, in breach of their fiduciary duties, defrauded Concacaf of tens of millions of US dollars by engaging in self-dealing schemes to enrich themselves and the other defendants. The allegations against them also revolve around the management and use of the COE, and in particular concerns an alleged conspiracy to misappropriate over US$50 million in Concacaf money by claiming the COE belonged to Concacaf. Conflict of interest is also alleged against the group and Concacaf is seeking reimbursement for US$37.8million, in addition to unquantified sums for general and exemplary damages, an account for all profits and funds sent by Concacaf and the ownership of the land, assets and property of the COE. In the US claim heard in the Brooklyn court on Monday, Concacaf alleged Warner and Blazer accepted millions from companies in foreign governments in exchange for their votes and broadcasting rights in major tournaments, including the 2010 World Cup.

Warner has repeatedly accused Concacaf of waging a personal war against him and has labelled the allegations as spurious. In the matter before Mohammed, Concacaf is represented by attorneys Christopher Hamel-Smith,SC, Jonathan Walker, and Cherie Gopie.

Hosein, Sasha Bridgemohansingh and Anil Maraj represent Warner, Renraw, CCAM, the the COE. Rishi Dass and Marina Narinesingh represent Mrs Warner, and Stanley Marcus, Debra James and Lemuel Murphy appear for Mohammed and his company.

[Deeks]

So this judge is a c**tz!