Armour 'disturbed' by chief magistrate's findings

ATTORNEY GENERAL Reginald Armour, SC, says he is “disturbed” by the findings of fact made by the chief magistrate in the latest legal challenge brought by former FIFA vice president Jack Warner of his extradition to the United States.

Armour made the assertion hours after Chief Magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle referred Warner’s questions which again challenge the lawfulness of his extradition.

Armour admitted he was not fully briefed on the chief magistrate’s ruling but took specific issue with the Chief Magistrate’s findings of fact. He did not identify what he took issue with.

Invoking the sub-judice rule, which prevents parties from speaking about cases before the court, Armour said all the Chief Magistrate had was Warner’s affidavit in support of his application for her to refer his questions to the High Court.

He said there was no other evidence before her. He also said there appeared to be no justification for the Chief Magistrate’s findings of fact.

Armour said the Earle-Caddle had to determine if the questions raised by Warner required determination by the High Court. He said the only way she could decline was if she found his application to be frivolous or vexatious.

He intends to meet with the State’s legal team to review the chief magistrate’s decision.

Armour gave a history of Warner’s extradition matter, dating back to 2015, listing the various attorneys who represented the State over that period of time and also referred to previous rulings of the courts where Warner was successful.

He also admitted he could not answer the media’s questions since the matter was “alive and sub judice” nor did he want to shoot from the hip since he was not fully briefed on the ruling.

Warner had also challenged the legality of the Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act, and the treaty signed between this country and the US.

Warner surrendered to Fraud Squad officers on May 27, 2015, after learning of a provisional warrant for his arrest.

After the authority to proceed was signed giving the go-ahead for extradition proceedings to start, FIFA banned Warner from all football activities for life.

He and 13 other FIFA officials were indicted in the US. Warner was also head of Concacaf.

In the US charge sheet against him, Warner is accused of racketeering, wire fraud, money laundering, and bribery; and allegedly, from the early 1990s, he “began to leverage his influence and exploit his official positions for personal gain.”

On Monday, he was remanded on $2.5 million continuing bail.

He also allegedly accepted a million-dollar bribe from South African officials in return for voting to award them the 2010 World Cup and allegedly bribed officials with envelopes of cash.