http://www.newsday.co.tt/news/0,141677.htmlWARNER'S STILL A SIMPAUL DIRECTOR
By Andre Bagoo Sunday, June 5 2011
FORMER FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed bin Hammam, in defence of proceedings brought against him by FIFA’s Ethics Committee last Sunday, said he transferred $2.3 million to the Jack Warner-led Caribbean Football Union (CFU) to cover the “travelling and accommodation expenses” of delegates and “the overall costs” of a two-day CFU meeting held at the four-star Hyatt Regency hotel in Port-of-Spain last month.
The travelling expenses and bookings for the meeting were done via Simpaul Travel Services Limited, a company which, to date, still lists Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner as a director.
Companies Registry documents obtained yesterday by Sunday Newsday revealed that while Warner is no longer a shareholder in the travel agency he set up with his wife, Maureen, in 1997, he is still listed as a director of the firm. An annual return filed on January 14, listed Warner, whose first name is Austin, as a director alongside his wife and sons Darryl and Daryan, of 69 Cynthia Drive, Howell Settlement, Five Rivers, Arouca. The current shareholders of the firm are listed as Princess Rose Campbell and housewife Margaret Fletcher, both of 177 Kitchener Avenue, Barataria. Both are former directors of Simpaul Travel. Their shares were transferred to them from Jack and Maureen Warner in March 2006.
Warner and his family had stepped down as directors in March 2006, the year of the World Cup in Germany. By August 2009, however, Warner and his family returned as directors.
Simpaul Travel was previously investigated by FIFA after it was revealed that tickets for the 2006 World Cup were channelled through the company. Warner, however, was subsequently cleared by the Ethics Committee.
Warner was last year allowed to maintain his ministerial portfolio simultaneously with his FIFA vice-presidency amidst great controversy, given the fact that ministers are by convention made to give up private business when entering Cabinet office.
It was not known then that Warner also, to date, maintains a post as a director at Simpaul, as indicated by the public registry documents. Contacted yesterday, an aide who answered Warner’s mobile phone said he was unavailable as he was in a constituency meeting.
In a four-page statement of defence, submitted to the Petrus Damaseb-chaired committee at Zurich, Switzerland, last Sunday, bin Hammam said he, “found it correct and insisted to pay” the money because the meeting, held from May 10-11, was an “extraordinary one”.
“Since this was an extraordinary meeting of the CFU, Mr bin Hammam found it correct and insisted to pay the travelling and accommodation expenses of the delegates, as well as the overall costs of the conference,” the statement, prepared by an attorney representing bin Hammam, read.
“For this purpose, Mr bin Hammam transferred the estimated costs of USD$360,000 (TT$2.3 million) to the CFU prior to the meeting in Trinidad.”
At the time, bin Hammam was a candidate in the FIFA election and was seeking the support of the CFU delegates in the race against incumbent Sepp Blatter.
Bin Hammam said the meeting came about due to a choice he made not to attend a CONCACAF meeting from May 1-3 in Miami.
“Mr bin Hammam initially intended to attend the CONCACAF-Congress which was held on 1 to 3 May 2011 in Miami, USA,” the statement said.
“That is why he applied for a visa at the beginning of April 2011. On 30 April and 1 May 2011, Mr bin Hammam attended the CONMEBOL Congress in Asuncion, Paraguay. At this time, the visa for entering the USA had still not arrived. (It was) only on 1 May 2011 in the afternoon, he received a phone call from the US embassy in Paraguay offering help in the visa matter. However, at that time, Mr bin Hammam had already changed his plans and decided not to change them again but to see the delegates of the CFU at an extraordinary meeting. No inferences which are disadvantageous for Mr Bin Hammam may be drawn from this choice.”
It was previously reported that bin Hammam could not attend the CONCACAF meeting due to an administrate error with his visa. Bin Hammam left Trinidad on May 10 while the two-day meeting was still taking place. He denied any knowledge that cash bribes were offered while he was there or after.
Warner is the president of the CFU, the organisation which hosted the Hyatt meeting.
Warner, who was issued a suspension this week by FIFA after its ethics committee found a case of bribery to answer against him, is also the CONCACAF president. The CFU offices are located at the CONCACAF building at Edward Street, Port-of-Spain. Simpaul Travel, the company that did the travel bookings for the meeting, also has a branch in the same building as CONCACAF and CFU. A separate affidavit sent to FIFA’s ethics committee reportedly said the travel and hotel accommodation was arranged through Simpaul Travel.
In a television interview last week, Warner reportedly indicated that the amount transferred was $100,000 less than that stated by bin Hammam and that it was wired.
“Mr bin Hammam never gave any money to the countries of the Caribbean. bin Hammam wired $260,000 to pay for accommodation and airfares. This is the norm,” Warner was quoted as saying in an internet report.
Warner has been alleged to have offered CFU officials bribes of $252,000 (US$40,000) at the Hyatt meeting. However, to date, the full facts on which the allegations are based, which have been strongly denied by Warner, remain unclear.
The allegations have been made by Chuck Blazer, the CONCACAF general secretary and one- time Warner ally whose credibility has been questioned by both bin Hammam and Warner.
In his defence, bin Hammam gave a glimpse of Blazer’s allegations against Warner. Referring to a statement by Blazer, bin Hammam said Blazer claimed that Warner had said that Warner had informed FIFA and Blatter, the FIFA president, of cash payments to the CFU delegates.
“In Mr Blazer’s submission…Mr Blazer refers to statements of Mr Jack Warner according to which the alleged cash payments were notified to the FIFA and Mr Blatter in particular and that they ‘had no issue with it’,” bin Hammam said.
It is unclear why, if any payments offered at the May meetings were bribes for supporting bin Hammam, Warner would inform bin Hammam’s competitor in the election, Blatter, of this.
Warner, bin Hammam and Blatter were all last Sunday referred to the FIFA Ethics Committee on the eve of last week’s FIFA presidential elections.
The committee, chaired by Namibian judge Damaseb, made a controversial ruling which cleared Blatter, but not the others, paving the way for Blatter to go up for a fourth term uncontested last week (bin Hammam withdrew hours before the ethics committee hearing last Sunday).
In relation to the allegation against Blatter, Damaseb noted the FIFA president was accused of failing to report the alleged intention to make unsanctioned payments to Caribbean associations. Warner has claimed Blatter was aware of the facts in question and has promised to read from an email he sent to Blatter after the May event. Blatter has claimed Warner told him about an intention to make certain payments at a future date.
Warner has denied all allegations. Last week, he declined requests from this newspaper to disclose statements submitted in his defence to the Ethics Committee.
Warner was last week cleared of a separate set of bribery allegations made by Lord Triesman, who has accused him of seeking to benefit financially in return for supporting England’s World Cup bid. Warner also last week declined to disclose a report that cleared him in that instance.
This week’s events, which came mere days after the PP Government celebrated its first anniversary, have shaken local politics. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has said she will stand by Warner pending a full FIFA report and under the principle that an accused person is innocent until proven guilty. COP deputy political leader Prakash Ramadhar, however, has called for Warner to step aside temporarily.
CONCACAF has also been sent into a crisis with Warner’s suspension. This week, the acting president, Lisle Austin, attempted to fire Blazer, who has reported Warner as violating his suspension. Austin was himself this week subject to a ban from CONCACAF by a majority of the CONCACAF executive committee. Up to yesterday, CONCACAF lawyers were still wrangling over this issue.
