UNC chairman welcomes Jack Warner's interest for general election

UNC chairman Davendranath Tancoo says he is heartened by his predecessor Jack Warner's willingness to contest the next general election. But he added the party has a process whereby it selects candidates for any election.

On October 23, Warner said he was willing to be a UNC candidate in the election, which is constitutionally due by next August, if party political leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar is open to the idea.

On October 24, Tancoo said, "The population recognizes that the UNC remains the only hope for rescuing this country from the social and economic damage caused by the PNM"

He added, "I am heartened that we are seeing a substantial inflow of persons, including Mr Warner, responding to the political leader's call for those willing to serve at all levels of the party to come forward."

As a disciplined structured party, Tancoo continued, we have a formal process which is well known for candidate selection including completion of a nomination form, assessment, consultation and screening which is open to all members."

He was confident of upward momentum and interest of people working with the UNC to win the next election.

Princes Town MP Barry Padarath agreed with Tancoo.

"The party has a process."

Padarath was elected party organiser in the UNC's internal elections in June.

He said as a member of the UNC's natex, this was not a matter for him solely "to decide or pronounce on."

Before last August's local government elections, Warner said he had put his differences with Persad-Bissessar aside to join her and former national security minister Gary Griffith in a UNC-NTA (National Transformation Alliance) coalition to contest those elections which ended in a 7-7 tie between the UNC and the PNM.

Warner was Chaguanas West MP from 2007- 2013.

On the possibility of Warner running for a seat again, Chaguanas West MP Dinesh Rambally said, "Mr Warner, like anyone else, is free to throw his hat in the ring. In the present UNC dispensation, it’s entirely up to the leader."

Rambally is one of five UNC MPs who have publicly questioned the ability of Persad-Bissessar to lead the UNC to victory in the next election.

The others are Rushton Paray, Anita Haynes-Alleyne, Dr Rai Ragbir and Rodney Charles.

Paray, Haynes-Alleyne, Rambally and Ragbir all filed nominations with the UNC in May to be considered as candidates in the election.

Last year, Charles said he will not stand for re-election in 2025.

Rambally said, "As to my own political future. I am aware of the environment, and I have taken positions I am aware might not be popular with the leadership. I am prepared to face the consequences."

He added, "I’m relatively young, and there is time. Whether via elected office or otherwise, I will serve Trinidad and Tobago in any and every way that I can , as I did before I entered electoral politics."

Rambally was confident other avenues will open up that will allow him to serve the population.

Paray, Haynes-Alleyne, Rambally, Ragbir and Charles were not invited to a general election preparation meeting which Persad-Bissessar chaired at the UNC's headquarters in Chaguanas on September 1.

They were reassigned to the lower end of the opposition's front bench in the House on September 9.

During the budget debate in the House earlier this month, Rambally said no man or woman would decide when he speaks.

Warner still has legal issues to deal with before any consideration can be made with respect to his candidacy.

These concern his constitutional challenge to attempts to extradite him to the US to face corruption and fraud charges relating to his former role as FIFA vice president.

On September 19, Justice Karen Reid gave directions for filing submissions ahead of the May 29, 2025 trial.

Until then, Warner’s extradition hearing in the magistrates’ court remains on hold until the High Court rules.

Warner raised the new constitutional challenge last year, some eight years after he was indicted in the US on 29 charges of fraud, corruption and money laundering while he was vice president of football’s world governing body.

In March 2023, Warner, whom FIFA banned for life, raised a “speciality argument” under section 14(4) of the Constitution, complaining there were inconsistencies relating to the charges he faces in the US.

Former chief magistrate Maria Busby Earle-Caddle referred the seven questions raised to the High Court, ruling they were “legally grounded and had merit.”

Warner’s argument relates to the arrangement between the US and TT for extradition. The speciality principle, by law, provides that someone who is extradited can be prosecuted or sentenced in the requesting state only for the offences for which extradition was granted, and not for any other crime allegedly committed before the extradition took place.

Warner’s application to have the chief magistrate refer his questions to the High Court was made soon after the Privy Council ruled on a previous challenge he had raised.

On November 17, 2022, the apex court paved the way for continuing the proceedings to extradite Warner to the US to face the fraud-related charges.

The London-based court held that the US’s request for Warner’s extradition was not unfair.

He had challenged the process against him and sought to quash the authority given to the magistrate to proceed with his extradition hearing.

The US requested his extradition on July 24, 2015, two months after a provision warrant was issued for his arrest. He surrendered to the police and asked for disclosure of material relevant to the ATP (authority to proceed), which gives the extradition court the go-ahead to begin hearing evidence to determine if the person should be extradited. This was refused.

After the 2015 general election, then-attorney general Faris Al-Rawi allowed Warner to make representations as to whether the authority to proceed (ATP) should be issued on condition he agreed to extend the time for the issuance of the authority to proceed. Warner refused. The magistrate eventually extended the time.

Since then, the extradition proceedings in the local court have remained stalled, with no evidence being led.

Warner has had a turbulent history with the UNC.

He was elected UNC chairman under party founder Basdeo Panday in October 2007.

In November 2007, he was elected as Chaguanas West MP.

In July 2009, Warner together with former attorney general Ramesh Lawrence Maharaj and Winston "Gypsy" Peters started a caravan for change in the UNC against Panday's leadership.

The trio became know as "RamJack G."

In January 2010, Warner endorsed Siparia MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar to lead the UNC instead of Panday.

With Warner's help, Persad-Bissessar defeated Panday in the party's internal elections on January 24, 2010 and was elected UNC leader.

On February 25, 2010, Warner was a catalyst in encouraging a majority of opposition MPs to sign a petition to then president George Maxwell Richards that led to Persad-Bissessar replacing him as Opposition Leader.

In April 2014, Warner resigned from the cabinet and the UNC as a result of FIFA-related corruption allegations. He apologised to Panday for not listening to him about Persad-Bissessar not being fit to serve as prime minister.