(Trinidad Express) The police are not afraid to investigate their line minister Jack Warner.
This was stated yesterday by Public Information officer of the Police Service, Sgt Wayne Mystar, when asked about the finding of the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) that Warner had US$1 million at his CONCACAF office, which he used as “gifts” for Caribbean Football Union (CFU) heads in the lead up to the FIFA presidential elections.
The incident had triggered an investigation by FIFA against Warner and FIFA presidential candidate Mohamed Bin Hammam, who was banned for life from football activities by FIFA and had his sentence over-turned by the CAS. Warner resigned as FIFA vice-president before his matter was heard by a FIFA tribunal.
Warner, National Security Minister in the People’s Partnership government, was being investigated by police for allegedly breaching the Foreign Exchange Act and the Customs Act – which prohibits the importation of currency above $5,000, except with the permission of the Central Bank.
The matter was “terminated pending further developments” by police following the misinterpretation of the advice by Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), senior counsel Roger Gaspard, that the police should look in the direction of the Customs Act when investigating the matter.
During a press briefing last month, ASP Joanne Archie had said the matter was closed “pending any further developments that may arise”.
Asked at yesterday’s daily police press briefing if the findings would cause the case to be re-opened, Mystar said that the finding of CAS was information, which the police were not privy to. He added there was a difference between evidence and information.
He explained that evidence was different from information as the latter leads to evidence which can be “linked to a crime”.