Is Jack Warner Guilty of Bribery?

FIFA's Former Vice President Mr. Jack Warner resigned from the organization on June 20, 2011 following allegations of bribery of Caribbean Football Union (CFU) members with US$40,000 in cash, at a meeting held in Trinidad and Tobago on May 11, 2011. All charges have since been dropped against Mr. Warner, following his resignation, but members of the CFU are now being investigated by FIFA's ethics committee.

FIFA's investigation has turned to 15 CFU officials on they possible involvement in a US$40,000 bribery scandal which is currently ongoing. Surprisingly, however, is a video which has now surfaced on the The Telegraph website which shows what occurred during the May 11, CFU meeting at the Hyatt hotel, in Trinidad.

The video appears to be depicting a speech being made by Mr. Warner on the matter of gifts being given to the CFU, which were later distributed to its members. He also spoke to the present and future candidates for the presidency of FIFA, and the advantages and disadvantages of the election of each, and then allowed members to vent their concerns.

"Because I don't want it to even remotely appear that anyone has any obligation for your vote because of what gifts you have given them, and he fully accepted that.

"I said to him also I would not even mention it but I will give it to them before you leave, because Jack Warner [inaudible] the next thing you know Jack Warner keeps everything.

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"What I am telling you even Mr Blatter is aware of, no secret, I told Blatter also what he gets as well. But let me talk to New York to stop you running to New York and tell everything.

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"And if you want to take football and make it purely European ... so I don't know if it is in our best interests to vote for Mr Bin Hammam merely on what he said yesterday.

"Sometimes my grandma tells me you know what you have, you don't know what you get. And therefore in some ways we have a very [inaudible] decision to make.

"On the one hand Mr Blatter and the security that which he has given us in the past, and the other hand Mr Bin Hammam who has brought fresh ideas and who wants to stop the French chain in Zurich.

"I will give you no advice this morning but I would like to open the floor to hear some of your views and arguments before we go to Zurich. After all we have 25 out of 35 members and if we cannot determine the course of events at Concacaf on this issue and any other issue then something is wrong.

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