Them saying that Jack Warner resign from the T&T

[Islandman]

Govt? That would be good news. What a crook.

[Exile]

JACK HAS RESIGNED



Story Created: Apr 21, 2013 at 8:33 PM ECT
Story Updated: Apr 21, 2013 at 9:21 PM ECT

The Office of the Prime Minister today issued a statement confirming the resignation of National Security Minister Jack Warner.

In the statement, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she had accepted Warner's resignation from Cabinet.

"I wish to thank Mr Warner for his service to the government and people of Trinidad and Tobago" she stated.

Prime Minister Kersad Bissessar advised President Anthony Carmona to revoke Warner's ministerial appointment and appoint Senator Emanuel George as National Security Minister.

She also advised the President to assign George's portfolio, Works and Infrastructure, to Local Government Minister Suruj Rambachan.

In the statement, Persad-Bissessar gave no indication as to the reasons behind the resignation of Warner, who was described as having committed fraud in a Concacaf Integrity Committee report made public on Friday after a year-long investigation into allegations against Warner, its former president, and former general secretary Chuck Blazer.

Chairman of the Concacaf Integrity Committee, Sir David Simmons, former Barbados chief justice, revealed a detailed report into allegations of financial mismanagement by Warner and Blazer.
One Concacaf delegate termed them “white collar thieves”.

Warner responded by calling the report baseless and malicious and refused to step down.

Late Saturday, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar returned from an official trip to the United States, saying she would act against Warner after she had read the report.

Today, Persad-Bissessar called members of the Cabinet to the her private residence in Phillipine near San Fernando.

Warner also attended but left ahead of his colleagues.

Among those who attended was political leader of the Congress of the People (COP) Prakash Ramadhar who, on Saturday, said based on the findings of the report, Warner had to step down or be removed.
Warner remains the chairman of the United National Congress, and Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West, where he retains support from constituents.

[Exile]

Rowley: its damage control

PM still has to account, says Rowley

By Renuka Singh


Story Created: Apr 21, 2013 at 10:17 PM ECT
Story Updated: Apr 21, 2013 at 10:17 PM ECT

Opposition leader Dr Keith Rowley described the resignation of Jack Warner as national security minister as nothing more than Government’s “damage control”.

Rowley, in a telephone interview just after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar made the announcement last night, said Warner’s resignation did not improve his estimation of her.

“It is clear that the Prime Minister does not act on principle, but only when there is water more than flour,” Rowley said.

“Warner’s resignation is one single brick that has been removed in the wall that stands in the way of decency,” he said.

The People’s National Movement leader said just like the Section 34 fiasco that resulted in the removal of then-justice minister Herbert Volney, Warner’s resignation came only after the public decided it was not accepting his continuation as a Government minister.

“This is not as a result of decisive action by the Prime Minister, this is damage control. But I have to say that I am grateful for his removal so that we will no longer carry the label of him in Cabinet.”

Rowley said Warner’s resignation does not eliminate the questions that the rest of Government, including Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar and Attorney General Anand Ramlogan, have to answer.
“I will keep on the Prime Minister. She has shown that she does not act in principle, but only on expediency when the political price looks too high.”

He said the Concacaf Integrity Committee report, which made damning allegations of fraud against Warner, “removed” the Government’s convenient “hiding place”.

“They were hiding so that they would not have to remove Jack Warner, and this latest development removed that hiding place. They were trying to ride it out,” he said.

Rowley said Persad-Bissessar must have been aware of Warner’s actions throughout the years, but kept “promoting him through the Cabinet” regardless.

He said while this resignation was vindication for the People’s National Movement, Warner should never have been a member of the Government in the first place.

“Only the Prime Minister can determine who sits in Cabinet, that is solely her responsibility. She advanced him through Cabinet,” he said.
Rowley and Warner were expected to face off in Parliament on Friday to discuss the Opposition’s motion, which demands Persad-Bissessar disclose her “handling” of Warner. He said that debate is still “very much on”.

“As far as we are concerned, Warner, the Prime Minister and the Attorney General are all in the same boat, and they all have questions to answer,” he said.

And Movement for Social Justice (MSJ) leader David Abdulah said he did not believe Warner resigned, but said the Government may have forced his hand.

“Given the weight of the allegations in the Concacaf report, there was no alternative, no other option,” Abdulah said in a telephone interview.
He said this resignation was a vindication for the Movement for Social Justice, which called for Warner’s removal since June last year. “He was inappropriate as a minister because he did not understand that he had a different responsibility under the Constitution as a minister,” he said.

Abdulah said he, too, believed the Prime Minister did not act out of principle, but faced off with Warner because of public outcry. “She could have taken action months ago, when he overstepped his bounds. This was really belated action on the part of the Prime Minister.”

Abdulah said it was clear Warner brought the “FIFA and Concacaf culture” to his poli*tical life.

“You cannot be blurring the lines between personal and public life. Mr Warner exiting is not the end of the problem. Many other persons acted inappropriately and the struggle for good governance continues,” he said.

[Exile]

Trinidad's national security minister, ex-FIFA official Warner quits -official

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MIAMI, April 21 | Sun Apr 21, 2013 8:35pm EDT

(Reuters) - Former FIFA vice president Jack Warner resigned as Trinidad and Tobago's national security minister on Sunday, two days after an investigation accused him of "fraudulent" management of the CONCACAF soccer confederation, the prime minister's office said.
Warner, who stepped down as CONCACAF president in 2011 after a "cash-for-votes" scandal, was accused of tricking the body that represents soccer in North American, Central America and the Caribbean out of ownership of the $26 million Centre of Excellence in Port of Spain. He is also facing an FBI probe over a separate issue. (Reporting by Simon Evans; Editing by David Adams and Stacey Joyce)

[Mosiah]

Govt? That would be good news. What a crook.

Of the highest (or lowest!) level!

The man should be behind bars.

You know what I particularly despise about the slug, he used to speak as a proud black man, with a kind of Marcus Garvey attitude, that he would not be held down by "the man".

And then his penchant for speaking about people's mother...what a reprehensible coot!

He and his thieving sons should be thrown in prison!

[Peter R]

Well, I have not checked for any updates since last night so things might have changed since: Warner has resigned from THE CABINET but he is still the MP for his constituency and the Chairman of the UNC (United National Congress), the majority party in the sitting coalition, the People's Partnership (PP) as it is labelled.
The UNC is the PM's party.

[Islandman]

Interesting.....so Jack is still very much in the picture.

[Exile]

HE resigned as Chairman of the party as well this morning.

[Peter R]

What is funny, even ironic is that JAck was never an official of the TTFF or TTFA (when it was called "Association"). He was a "special advisor" , note the word "special", he was not just an advisor. Anyway, in spite of the fact he had no status other than that in TT Football, he ran the show. The President and others were mere figureheads. I wonder if he is not in fact doing (or will not be doing) the same thing with T&T Government.

He bankrolled the government's campaign by and large during the last elections and he may feel he is owed, or demand, returns on his "investment". Let's see what happens.

On another note, he (JW) said that Joao Havelange gave him the Centre of Excellence as a gift. Would it be his (JH's) to gift to anyone? Wouldn't the property have belonged to FIFA?? No one seems to have asked that question in the media , at least not that I have seen.