According to a January 27, 2024 New York Times article, these rulings “cast doubt on the legal basis for a host of prosecutions” surrounding those involved in scandals coming out of the December 2015 raids on FIFA officials in Zurich, Switzerland.
In June 2011, Warner, who was then provisionally suspended by the world football governing body for alleged corruption, resigned from all his international football posts. Warner was one of 14 top FIFA officials and corporate executives to be accused of corruption, fraud and money laundering while he was FIFA vice-president.
Warner was later indicted in 29 charges of corruption in the US in 2015. Extradition proceedings against him remain on hold.
In an interview with i95.5FM last Thursday, Warner said the court’s ruling to toss the convictions of an ex-21st Century Fox executive and sports marketing company on corruption charges in a case involving FIFA has him feeling relieved.
That September case, according to the New York Times, is one in which “the two defendants benefited from two recent Supreme Court rulings that had rejected federal prosecutors’ application of the law at play in the soccer cases and offered rare guidance on what is known as honest services fraud.
“The defendants in the soccer trial had been found to have engaged in bribery that deprived organizations outside the US of their employees’ honest services, which constituted fraud at the time. But the judge ruled that the court’s new guidance meant that those actions were no longer prohibited under American law.”
On this decision, Warner declared his agreement.
“I am in firm agreement with the US Supreme Court statement on the matter. I always knew the US were wrong to attack and destroy FIFA and destroy people’s lives just because they didn’t get a World Cup venue,” Warner said, referring to the US' failed 2022 World Cup bid.
That World Cup bid was won by Qatar, but several FIFA officials, including Warner, were accused of accepting bribes.
“It is utterly ridiculous for people to be imprisoned and to be charged for being a member of a private organisation as FIFA, and to be charged by the US government on what they did or did not do during their stay in FIFA,” Warner argued.
“I am feeling relieved. My life has been destroyed, my family’s life has been destroyed and I have spent tonnes of money on this matter. All I did was to tell FIFA that it is time to change the paradigm of giving the World Cup to Europe and South America. I said to them, ‘just go to the Middle East’.
“It is this that has caused me to be where I am today. The irony is that people in the Middle East, thanks to my efforts and others, Qatar (which hosted the World Cup in 2022) has produced one of the best World Cups this world has ever seen. So, I feel vindicated in a sense for what I have done, but the price that I have paid for that is overbearing,” he added.
“I don’t anticipate, despite the political strength of the Caribbean nations within CONCACAF, another CONCACAF president from the Caribbean or the CFU for quite some time,” Hislop said during the Caribbean Conference on Corruption, Compliance and Cyber Crime held virtually last week.
“You have two presidents back-to-back, both black men from the Caribbean, both swept up in that scandal and, as a result, I think regionally there was a lack of trust around Caribbean administrators,” he added.
Canadian businessman Victor Montagliani has been CONCACAF president since May 2016.
Trinidad’s Warner served as CONCACAF President from 1990-2011. He was indicted on fraud charges and banned from all football-related activities by FIFA for life in 2015.
US prosecutors allege that from as far back as 1990, he leveraged his influence and exploited his official positions for personal gain.
Among other things, the 79-year-old former football administrator is accused of receiving US$5 million in bribes to vote for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup.
In November this year, Warner lost his fight at the Privy Council against extradition to the United States on corruption charges.
Webb, a Caymanian, took the reins as head of CONCACAF from 2012-2015.
In May 2015, Webb was arrested for corruption charges by Swiss police acting at the request of the U.S. Department of Justice on charges of racketeering, wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. That same month he was banned by FIFA Ethics Committee and ,in November 2015, pleaded guilty and agreed to forfeit more than US$6.7 million.
“We are living that legacy; We are still hoping that people take notice of the Caribbean. We are not able to advocate for ourselves and, for me, that is a desperate position for us to be in but that is the position that we have found ourselves in because of the legacies of those two people,” Hislop said.
Hislop, who was born in London and represented clubs like Newcastle United and West Ham United throughout his 15-year career, said he hopes some good comes out of the situation.
“Longer term, I hope that what has happened forces change, not just in Caribbean or Concacaf football, but in world football. Recognizing how easily the system can be perverted and how you need to have those checks and balances to better serve the global game.”
The reports claim the 77-year-old Warner, who campaigned for a seat in the Trinidad and Tobago General Elections last month, complained of feeling tired and was initially tested and released after being tested for cardiac issues.
A previously administered coronavirus test result, however, came back positive and the former football official was rushed back to the hospital. Details regarding Warner’s condition have been sketchy but both his publicist Michelle Borde-Harvey and Facebook page insists the former MP is doing well.
“Mr. Warner has tested positive for COVID-19 and is in fact being treated. He wishes to advise all, that he is alive and in good spirits, as always,” the statement on the social media website read.
Warner unsuccessfully contested the Lopinot Bon Air seat in the election. He is currently battling extradition to the United States, based on charges levelled against him during his time in football.
The coronavirus pandemic has killed 29 people and infected 1, 984 in Trinidad and Tobago. Warner became the second politician to be stricken by the disease.
The ILP said the 77-year-old Warner will contest the Lopinot/Bon Air West seat. The controversial former football official, who is fighting extradition to the United States where he is expected to face corruption charges, is to host a media conference at 3 pm at his constituency office in Arouca today.
Warner served as a Government Minister under the former People's Partnership administration. He resigned as the Member of Parliament for Chaguanas West in April 2013.
Warner had been a member of the FIFA Executive Committee since 1983 and CONCACAF President since 1990. He was re-elected for a new term in 2011.
However, he was implicated in numerous corruption allegations dating back to the 1980s.
In May 2011, Warner and Mohammed bin Hammam were provisionally suspended by the FIFA Ethics Committee pending the outcome of the investigation of corruption allegations against them.
On 20 June 2011, FIFA announced Warner's resignation from all his positions in international football.
Warner’s lawyers argued that his extradition was unlawful but London’s Privy Council, the highest court of appeal for many Commonwealth countries, unanimously dismissed his appeal.
Suspicion and rumours have surrounded the 2010 votes by FIFA’s executive to hand the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 edition to Qatar.
In 2020, a US Department of Justice indictment said bribes were paid to soccer officials to secure their votes for hosting rights.
The DOJ alleged that then FIFA vice-president Warner was paid US$5 million through various shell companies to vote for Russia to host the 2018 World Cup.
His role as president of CONCACAF, which organises soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean, gave him enormous influence as a powerbroker for former FIFA chief Sepp Blatter.
A former member of the FIFA Executive Committee and former CONCACAF president, Warner was suspended by FIFA in 2011 and in 2015, charged with wire fraud, racketeering and money-laundering by the US.
FIFA banned him from all soccer-related activity for life in 2015. The 79-year-old has always denied any wrongdoing.
The 77-year-old former football official turned politician, confirmed in a statement that he had been released from the Couva Hospital on Sunday.
Warner was rushed to the hospital two weeks ago, after testing positive for the disease and experiencing some of the symptoms. Warner, who had a tough time battling the disease, reflected that he would not have inflicted it on his worst enemy.
“This was not a good road trip and I will be following the medical guidelines to the dot and to the tittle not simply because it is my social and legal responsibility to do so but because the discomfort, the isolation, and the pain that one goes through is not an experience that anyone will wish for another,” the release read.
The former FIFA vice president said that he intended to spend his recovery out of the limelight and that he was thankful to God.
“During my period of recovery, I will remain in the shadows away from media contact and this is not because of any disrespect to this profession to which I have grown to love but rather to allow me to recover undisturbed; I would truly wish that my request for silence during this period is respected,” he said.
“Let me, first of all, thank God for this second chance and for His mercy in allowing me to unite with my family and also once again to thank my family and friends for being my source of comfort and strength along this journey and for their prayers for healing which ascended to the throne of grace and my behalf.”
Warner, who received a ban from football for life in 2015 and is still facing extradition to the United States on corruption charges, was a known supporter of Wallace ahead of his successful bid to oust former president David John-Williams three months ago.
Speculation has since been rife that an association between Wallace and the former disgraced FIFA officials was one of the reasons the world football governing body disbanded the newly elected TTFA administration. Wallace was quick to insist, however, that he did not have a close relationship with Warner and indicated as much to FIFA.
“That is a perceived relationship and one that I don’t have that when it came to the fore, I wrote FIFA, I wrote CONCACAF indicating to CONCACAF that there is no such relationship with Mr. Jack Warner and I guess that if at the end of the day that letter meant nothing then so be it,” Wallace said in an interview with the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show.
Wallace, who was relieved of his duties by FIFA last week, went on to point out that he received solid support from a lot of individuals who wanted change during the election and that he could not control who Warner chose to support.
“We had a host of people supporting us and actually, we won the election 26 votes to 20 votes so it meant that 26 of the delegates supported me along with many other Trinidadians who felt at that point in time that something was definitely wrong with the organisation at that point and they needed a change so as a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago, even though Jack Warner expressed his opinion in terms of there should be change at the association then he has a right to do that, I really can’t stop him from doing that,” he added.
FIFA sent word of its decision to replace the TTFA executive with a normalisation committee two weeks ago in the face of what it described as extremely low overall financial management methods, combined with massive debt. A surprised Wallace, who pointed to positive meeting with FIFA only a few weeks prior has vowed to fight the decision.
The 77-year- old former football administration turned politician, contracted the virus two weeks ago, and has been in the hospital since. Warner is, however, reportedly in good spirits at the Couva hospital and took the time out to thank all who have wished him well for their continued support.
At one point rumous had surfaced that the politician was gravely ill and had even succumbed to the virus.
“The outpouring of love and concern by people from all walks of life really caught me by surprise and for that, I wish to say a special thanks for the caring of which I am still the recipient,” Warner said in a recent post.
“One friend text me to say “any energy you needlessly expend is directing that energy away from your healing” so I spend my days praying, seeking God’s forgiveness to those I may have wronged and living with the hope that very soon this COVID-19 will pass not only for me but for the many who continue to suffer locally and abroad.”
Warner also warned citizens to continue to be vigilant and follow the guidelines of the government. The former member of parliament still faces extradition to the United States, where he is expected to face corruption charges related to his time in football.
Warner, the disgraced former CONCACAF boss, has been battling to avoid extradition to the United States since 2015. The ex-football official faces charges of corruption stemming from alleged financial impropriety committed during a long tenure with world football’s governing body.
Last year, Warner tried and failed to have the extradition appeal dismissed on procedural grounds. The three judges of Trinidad and Tobago’s Court of Appeal opted to uphold the original decision to dismiss Warner’s review, which was made in September 2017.
Warner, who was also been ordered to pay US$79m in damages to CONCACAF by a federal judge in New York City last summer, is currently out on $TT 2.5m bail and banned for life by FIFA.
The authority to proceed (ATP) with Warner’s extradition as part of the FIFA indictments, was signed in 2016 by Trinidad and Tobago Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi. Warner is wanted on various counts of corruption, graft, bribery and money laundering.
