No probe over US$ bribery

In the Senate on Tuesday, Opposition PNM Senator Fitzgerald Hinds called on Commissioner of Police Dwayne Gibbs to investigate Works and Transport Minister Jack Warner, who went before a FIFA ethics committee to defend himself as a FIFA vice-president over bribery claims made against him. Hinds issued a similar call to the office of the Comptroller of Customs to say whether money was illegally imported into the country for the purpose of paying bribes.

However, Deputy Police Commissioner Jack Ewatski told Newsday yesterday that as far as he is aware, there is no police probe into any report of money being brought into the country to be used to bribe CONCACAF officials. Ewatski said there has been no official report involving undeclared sums of US currency being brought to the attention of the police by either FIFA or the Opposition PNM.

Also yesterday, Comptroller of Customs Fitzroy John said he is unaware of any probe of this nature taking place within Customs. Asked to respond to a television station’s news report earlier this week which alluded to a Customs probe, John said this was the first he was hearing of this and that while he is not involved in the operational aspects of Customs, he will speak to senior customs officers to ascertain if they are involved in any probe of this nature.

He said he doubted that such a probe is underway because if it was so, he would have had to be notified. He promised to investigate and have a statement on the matter issued by the Communications Department of Customs.