Immediately after Minister Jack Warner's arrival home, the Opposition PNM is officially approaching the Police Commissioner, Integrity Commission, Comptroller of Customs and Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to probe alleged bribery occurring in T&T last month involving Warner. PNM Senator Fitzgerald Hinds yesterday confirmed letters are being sent to the respective authorities on the issue. On Tuesday in the Senate, Hinds said bribery allegations made against Warner in FIFA circles should be probed by local authorities-apart from at FIFA level-since the alleged act reportedly occurred here.
Warner and Qatar's Mohamed Bin Hammam have been suspended by FIFA pending probe of bribery allegations against both. Former Concacaf general secretary Chuck Blazer has levelled bribery allegations against Warner and bin Hammam that they arranged for US $1million in bribes to be offered to 25 Caribbean associations at a Football Association meeting in Trinidad over May 10-11.
Hinds in the Senate on Tuesday called on the Comptroller of Customs to determine whether large sums of US currency had been imported into T&T without being declared. If not, Hinds wanted to know where the money originated to fund it locally. Hinds' concerns were repeated at Wednesday's PNM meeting in Maloney. Hinds yesterday confirmed he and the party had moved a step beyond speaking about the matter to official action. In addition to the three authorities to which he was writing, Hinds said he wants intervention by the Finance Ministry's FIU.
That unit is mandated to track/monitor financial proceeds from various business lines in a bid to curb money laundering, terrorism and drug trafficking. Hinds said yesterday, " FIFA's election has come and gone and while there is a FIFA probe on the issue we in T&T now have to see about our own business since bribery is a criminal offence here and substantial allegations have been made." "We're not prepared to leave these matters up to the Prime Minister or FIFA, having regard to how the Prime Minister dealt with the SIA issue and the matter of the Gopaul/NP contract.
"Mr Warner is a Cabinet Minister in T&T. FIFA cannot resolve any alleged infringement of T&T's laws."
Hinds said the PNM was acting on the matter where local authorities are concerned, particularly since in 2005, the Prime Minister-while in Opposition-had called for the then PNM government to have the Fraud and Anti Corruption squads probe issues regarding PNMites Franklin Khan and Eric Williams.
Hinds said Warner needed to step down once any local probe began on the issue.