Housing Minister Dr Keith Rowley is calling on FIFA to investigate the role of Jack Warner, one of its vice-presidents, in the more than doubling of the cost of four stadia that were built when Trinidad and Tobago hosted the Under-17 World Cup four years ago.
By Anna RamdassWarner, at Sunday's UNC rally, questioned why Rowley had been pointing fingers at him and, in response, the Housing Minister held a press conference at the Housing Development Corporation (HDC) to link the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation's Special Advisor to what he charged were inflated stadia costs.
Rowley reminded the media that in October 1995 the then PNM Cabinet had agreed to support the hosting of the FIFA Under-17 World Cup by building four stadia at the cost of $165 million.
However, elections were held later that year and the UNC came into power.
According to Rowley, in 1999 the UNC Cabinet revised the $165 million to $348 million with the cost increases being attributed to what Rowley described as interior fittings, bleachers, fixed spectator seatings, playing fields, flood lighting and score boards all of which, according to him, had been anticipated in the initial costing.
He said according to Cabinet notes, FIFA was to be the project manager for this project and funding was to be provided by Fincor.
He added that under the development programme for the fiscal year 1999, $102 million was allocated in the budget for the project.
"Somewhere in the mix out of the blue that procedure was abandoned...the next thing you know the project was being done by another group of financiers, Fincor was nowhere in the programme," said Rowley.
He said at a Parliament sitting the matter was raised and then Sports Minister Manohar Ramsaran was questioned about the award of the contract and the financiers.
Ramsaran had responded that the Government would not be funding the construction of the stadia and that a consortium of CONCACAF, Royal Merchant Bank, Guardian Life, and Barbados Mutual Life Assurance Society known as RGM Ltd was doing so.
Rowley made reference to a web which saw FIFA initially being featured prominently in Cabinet notes as the project manager only for a change that saw the contract being then put in the hands of Concacaf.
"It was illegal and improper for the Government to award any contract without tender to FIFA or Concacaf," the Minister charged.
He argued that the contracts had been awarded in a very strange manner to the point where the Trinidad and Tobago Contractors Association sent a letter to then Prime Minister Basdeo Panday expressing their concerns.
The question Rowley put to FIFA was what specific services the organisation and if, in fact, it had ever been involved as a contractor.
He said FIFA also had to tell the country whether it had been made aware of Concacaf's advancing itself in the project as well as how much that organisation was paid and for what services provided.
He also raised concern on Concacaf and asked whether or not it is the Concacaf or some local umbrella company.
These questions were being raised, Rowley said, because FIFA has shown an interest in ethics and was very much featured in the Government's business.
He added that if FIFA was terminated from the deal and the contract ended up with Concacaf, FIFA must also answer how that deal had been terminated.
"The reason why I raise all of this, is that huge sums of money was involved," said Rowley.
"He (Warner) is telling the country without batting an eyelid that he put $17 million to fund the national team...why is he so generous? Where this money come from?" he asked.
Rowley disclosed that the Government was still paying for a loan of $4 million a month on this project even as there remained still unanswered questions.
"I am taking the opportunity to call on FIFA to broaden their investigation in Trinidad and Tobago to answer all these questions where the agency has been featured prominently in Government business and for the benefit of the public to tell us the facts on this matter," he challenged.
Far from being content to leave the matter to FIFA, however, Rowley insisted that the PNM would ensure the questions be answered before the UNC "comes near the corridors of power". However, he was bringing via the media and was willing to supply the international organisation with the pertinent documentation.
Warner, for his part, told the Daily Express that he did not have to answer to Rowley and asked his own question:
"Why did he wait four years to make this announcement?"
