Fixin’ T&T: AG must be recused from Warner extradition; Law Assoc should act

Civic watch group, Fixin’ T&T, has expressed grave concern over the failure of Attorney General Garvin Nicholas to deny or explain funds allegedly provided to him by Chaguanas West MP and ex-FIFA vice president Jack Warner, who is fighting extradition to the United States at present.

Fixin’ T&T calls on the Attorney General to “provide unequivocal clarity on the authenticity of a cheque recently published (which was) allegedly paid to you by Mr Jack Warner.”

In that context, Fixin’ T&T has also expressed disappointment in “the deafening silence of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT)” on Warner’s assertions.

Fixin’ T&T submitted the following letter to LATT president Reginald Armour SC in response to the issue:

Dear Mr Armour,

FIXIN’ T&T is deeply concerned and disappointed by the deafening silence of the Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago (LATT) on recent revelations about funds allegedly received by Attorney General (AG) Garvin Nicholas from Mr. Jack Warner.

As a learned Senior Counsel you along with the Council of the LATT must appreciate the conundrum presented in the extradition matter conducted by the AG, who is the Central Authority, if in fact Mr. Nicholas has or ever had a direct pecuniary relationship with Mr Warner.  We call on the LATT to immediately and publicly state its position on this matter.

Via letter to our AG dated June 15, 2015 (attached for ease of reference) FIXIN’ T&T requested unequivocal clarity on the authenticity of a recently published cheque. To date, Mr Nicholas has neither responded nor denied receiving monies from Mr Warner in the sum of fifteen thousand dollars.

In the absence of an outright denial ideally he should be removed from office or at minimum, from the extradition case involving Mr Warner.

You may be aware that we also wrote to the Acting Commissioner of Police on June 8, 2015 formally requesting that an investigation be launched into, among other things, the source of funding for past political campaigns of the United National Congress and the Peoples Partnership.

This to determine whether, further to the Proceeds of Crime Act, any money laundering laws were breached and if so by whom.

We sincerely hoped that under new leadership the LATT, which in recent years epitomized dereliction of duty, would recognize its purposes as set out in Section 5 Part 2 of the Legal Profession Act.

Your actions, or lack thereof to date, leave us discouraged.  As with your predecessor, we remind you of your organization’s responsibilities:

The purposes of the Law Association as set out in Section 5 of Part 2 of the Legal Profession Act. The purposes of the Association are:-

(a) to maintain and improve the standards of conduct and proficiency of the Legal Profession in Trinidad & Tobago;
(b) to represent and protect the interests of the legal profession in Trinidad & Tobago;
(c) to protect and assist the public in Trinidad and Tobago in all matters relating to the law;
(d) to promote good relations within the profession, between the profession and persons concerned in the administration of justice in Trinidad and Tobago and between the profession and the public generally;
(e) to promote good relations between the profession and professional bodies of the legal profession in other countries and to participate in the activities of any international association of lawyers and to become a member thereof;
(f) to promote, maintain and support the administration of justice and the rule of law.
(g) to do such other things as are incidental or conducive to the achievements of the purposes set out at (a – f)

We look forward to your response and stated position.

Sincerely,

Kirk Waithe

Cc:

Mr Stephen Williams – Acting Commissioner of Police

Mr Roger Gaspard – Director of Public Prosecutions

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