In light of allegations being made by former National Security Minister and Chaguanas West MP Jack Warner that he financed the United National Congress’s 2010 election campaign, a forensic audit will now be launched to investigate whether Warner used party funds for his personal gain.
So said Prime Minister and UNC leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar yesterday, as she fielded questions from the media on Warner’s latest allegations against her party at her private residence at SS Erin Road, Phillipine, yesterday. She was at the time planting trees in her yard in observance of the Corpus Christi holiday.
“Any allegations about me I place in the hands of my lawyers and secondly, with all these indictments on Mr Warner, the UNC will have to run a forensic audit to see whether UNC funds were used for the personal benefit of Mr Warner,” Persad-Bissessar said.
Warner has released and printed copies in his weekly newspaper of cheques he alleges were paid to the firm Ross Advertising in 2010 for the UNC’s campaign drive totalling to over $1.7 million. During a meeting in Marabella on Wednesday night, he also alleged that he made payments to the Tobago Organisation of the People (TOP) and funded colleagues’ personal activities.
Responding to claims Warner’s claims that he had funded the UNC’s 2010 election campaign, Persad-Bissessar said, “With respect to the Fifa link to campaign funding, the party will put out a release on that, but I deny any Fifa funding of the UNC campaign and the People’s Partnership.”
Asked if the party would have known if Fifa funds were being used in the campaign, Persad-Bissessar replied, “No one would have known if it was Fifa funding at the time, but look I have cheques in my possession where people made donations to the UNC, but they were co-mingled and run through some account named Jamad or something, but I’ll say no more...the party will take up those issues.”
Dusting her hands together, Persad-Bissessar said, “I am not concerned, I keep saying my hands are clean and my heart is pure. I, Kamla, received no monies from Mr Warner.”