FORMER UNC chairman Jack Warner maintains that his rejoining the party for its local govermment elections campaign had nothing to do a deal he allegedly made with the UNC for help with his ongoing legal matters.
Warner is still facing extradition to the US for corruption charges relating to when he was FIFA vice president,
On November 17, 2022, the Privy Council paved the way for the continuation of the proceedings to extradite Warner to the US to face the charges. The London-based court held that the US request for Warner’s extradition was not unfair.
The proceedings in the local court were stalled when Warner, the former FIFA jefe, challenged the process by which the extradition proceedings against him were carried out and sought to quash the authority to proceed (ATP) signed by the Attorney General in September 2015. This was after the US asked for him to be extradited to face 29 charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering. The request was made on July 24, 2015.
After the September 7, 2015 general election, then attorney general Faris Al-Rawi offered to allow Warner to make representations, but only on condition the deadline for receipt of the ATP would be extended with his consent.
Warner refused to agree to the condition. His attorneys argued he was not given sufficient time to make representations, nor was he given disclosures of any evidence the US intended to use to secure his extradition.
The ATP gave the magistrate the green light to begin committal proceedings.
The US Department of Justice claims that from as far back as 1990, Warner leveraged his influence and exploited his official positions for personal gain. He is accused of receiving US$5 million in bribes to vote for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup.
FIFA suspended Warner in 2011 and subsequently banned him for life from all soccer-related activity as a result of the charges against him.
Addressing a UNC meeting in Arima on Thursday, Warner claimed the Prime Minister continues to say his rejoining the UNC was on condition the party help him with his legal challenges.
"I have been in FIFA for over 30 years, and for 30 years FIFA has never said anything about me about impropriety," he claimed. "I have helped thousands of persons. Not one has ever said anything (bad) about me except Rowley."
Warner promised to provide further details about his legal matters in a press release.
But he said, "I didn't know that the UNC has power over the courts.I know they have the best lawyers in the country."
Warner boasted, "To date, Rowley's government has paid for 17 lawyers with taxpayers' money to get me out of the country. and I'm still here."
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