Jack to reveal critique of Concacaf report prepared by 3 "renowned jurists"

Former CWC MP Jack Warner

Jack Warner plans to file his nomination papers this week with the United National Congress (UNC) to fight the Chaguanas West bye-election on behalf of the party.

Warner fought and won the seat as a UNC candidate in 2007 and 2010. He resigned as the MP last month days after he quit his cabinet post and his elected position as chairman of the UNC.

A public opinion poll conducted by the ANSA McAL Psychological Research Centre at the University of the West Indies, St Augustine Campus suggests that Warner would win the seat if the election were held now.

However the poll of 503 was not conducted exclusively in constituency. Only 38 per cent of respondents said they are eligible to vote in the election and that they would vote for Warner.

One of the findings of the national poll was that Warner has 60 per cent support among Indo-Trinidadians and that more than half of respondents felt that the Prime Minister's mishandled the FIF/Concacaf issue involving Warner. 

The former CWC MP has said before filing his papers he would hold a media conference at the Centre of Excellence to reveal details of a legal critique of the Concacaf report that was prepared by a team headed by former Barbadian CJ Sir David Simmons.

The former Chaguanas West MP said he would present the findings of three “renowned jurists” who have critiqued the Concacaf report.

“I am printing 25,000 copies to give to every home in Chaguanas West and let them see for themselves what three world-renowned jurists have said about the Concacaf report and let them make their own judgment,” he said. 

“And they would tell me whether any minister of my calibre should ever have been even remotely considered to be a causality of the Concacaf report.” 

Warner resigned from cabinet on April 21, days after the Concacaf report was made public. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said she accepted his resignation because she did not want the allegations against Warner to be a distraction to the work of the government.

The next day Warner quit and chairman of the UNC and three days after that he resigned as MP for Chaguanas West and immediately announced that he would seek the UNC nomination to run for the seat in the by-election.

The Prime Minister has not announced a date for the by-election, which must be held not later than August 9, 2013.