CFU Extraordinary Meeting revelations

The details of the much publicised Extraordinary Meeting of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) held at the Hyatt Hotel in Trinidad and Tobago, in which monetary gifts were offered to several regional football officials, are coming to light slowly.{{more}}

The purpose of the special meeting was to provide Bin Hammam, a FIFA Presidential candidate, with the opportunity to address the delegates from the CFU.

Hammam was to have challenged Joseph Sepp Blatter in the May 31, 2011, elections. However, he was later slapped by a lifetime ban by FIFA Ethics Committee for inducing CFU members in a cash for vote scandal.

SEARCHLIGHT obtained a copy of the report of the meeting by General Secretary of Caribbean Football Union, Angenie Khanai.

“I was directed to coordinate the special meeting of the CFU by Mr. Jack Warner, who was at that time, President of the CFU”, Khanai wrote.

‘’On May 10, 2011, Mr. Warner advised me that he had gifts, which were to be distributed to the delegates. Mr. Warner did not tell me what the gifts were, but advised that they were to be distributed from the Hotel that afternoon,” Khanai, who held the post since February 2007, added.

“During the morning session on May 10th, Mr. Warner made an announcement to the attendees about picking up the abovementioned gift. I was told that I should come to his office to collect the gifts that were to be distributed,” Khanai stated.

“I arrived at Mr. Warner’s office at approximately 2:30 p.m. on May 10th and collected a locked bag with the key in the front pocket. I did not open the bag, but took it to my car for transport to the Hyatt Hotel. I did not open the bag until I transported it into the Secretariat (the office set up in the Hyatt Hotel for the CFU staff coordinating the meeting)”, the CFU official wrote.

“The first time the bag was opened, I was present with Debbie Minguell and Jason Sylvester, two CFU employees at the time. The bag contained 26 envelopes, these envelopes were unmarked, and were folded and sealed.”

Khanai said that she left Minguell and Jason Sylvester to distribute the envelopes.

“The next day, I met Debbie and Jason for breakfast at the hotel, and they advised that several delegates did not take the gifts or had returned them. They also advised me that the envelopes had contained cash,” Khanai revealed.

Khanai said Warner addressed the delegates regarding the previous day’s presentations and events.

“I do not have a list of the delegates that took the envelopes; in fact I believe that such a list does not in fact exist,” she added.

Khanai said that in speaking with the representative from the Bahamas, she was advised that he returned the envelope, with the representative from the Turks and Caicos returning the envelope to Ms. Minguell on the morning of May 11.

Khanai stated that after the meeting, she was contacted by Warner, who asked that the bag and any remaining gifts be returned to him.

Warner has since resigned his post, while Minguell and Sylvester have received a one year ban.