By Duncan Mackay
British Sports Internet Writer of the Year
June 11 – A panel of legal experts have been appointed by the Trinidad and Tobago Government to advise them on whether FIFA vice-president Jack Warner (pictured) should be allowed to combine his football roles with his position as the country’s Minister of Works and Transport.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Attorney General Anand Ramlogan has announced that they have approached three constitutional experts, including Michael Beloff, a prominent English barrister who unsuccessfully represented British sprinter Dwain Chambers after he tested positive for banned performance-enhancing drugs.
He will be joined by Russell Martineau SC, the former Attorney General of Trinidad and Tobago, and Sir Fenton Ramsahoye QC, the former Attorney General of Guyana.
Warner was appointed to the Cabinet after the People’s Partnership, a coalition of opposition parties and trade unions headed by United National Congress (UNC) leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar, won the General Elections last month.
But Opposition Leader Keith Rowley has raised questions about whether Warner’s should be allowed to continue as FIFA vice-president while in Cabinet was proper.
Ramlogan says he got advice from the country’s Integrity Commission, which indicated that all Cabinet Ministers should organise their affairs so they comply with the Code of Conduct of the Integrity in Public Life Act.
And he said he has asked Warner to get clarification on the exact terms and conditions which govern his position as FIFA vice-president.
But the Attorney General says he needs further guidance before advising Cabinet on the way forward.
“It is not as clear cut as it appears at first blush and furthermore the Code of Ethics, referred to by the Integrity Commission, is a matter that would need careful consideration in light of the modern realities that we face in 2010,” the Attorney General said.
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