The FIFA Ethics Committee, chaired by Claudio Sulser (Switzerland), has today taken decisions regarding the ethics proceedings that had been opened in August against several Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials.
The proceedings had been opened in regard to apparent violations of the Code of Ethics connected to the investigation of the cases related to the special meeting of the CFU held in Trinidad & Tobago on 10 and 11 May 2011.
The Ethics Committee took the following decisions:
Franka Pickering (British Virgin Islands) has been banned for a period of 18 months from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) and has received a fine of CHF 500.
Horace Burrell (Jamaica) has been banned for a period of six months from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other). The Ethics Committee decided to suspend three months of the ban, subject to a probationary period of two years.
Osiris Guzman (Dominican Republic) has been banned for a period of 30 days from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) and has received a fine of CHF 300. The Ethics Committee decided to suspend 15 days of the ban, subject to a probationary period of six months.
Ian Hypolite (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) has been banned for a period of 30 days from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) and has received a fine of CHF 300. The Ethics Committee decided to suspend 15 days of the ban, subject to a probationary period of six months.
Aubrey Liburd (British Virgin Islands) has received a reprimand and a fine of CHF 300.
Hillaren Frederick (US Virgin Islands) has received a reprimand and a fine of CHF 300.
Anthony Johnson (St. Kitts and Nevis) has received a reprimand but no fine.
The following officials have received a warning:
David Hinds (Barbados), Mark Bob Forde (Barbados), Richard Groden (Trinidad & Tobago), Yves Jean-Bart (Haiti) and Horace Reid (Jamaica)
Felix Ledesma (Dominican Republic) was considered not to have committed any violation.
The hearing of Noel Adonis (Guyana) has been postponed, while in the case of Patrick Mathurin (St. Lucia), more information is required and therefore no decision has been taken at this stage.
The cases of David Frederick (Cayman Islands) and Joseph Delves (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) were closed since they are no longer football officials. Should they return to football official positions, their cases would be examined again by the Ethics Committee.
Camps: Groden innocent in CFU bribe scandal.
By Kern De Freitas (Express).
LONGSTANDING Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) president Oliver Camps was a happy man yesterday with the news that TTFF general secretary Richard Groden has escaped punishment from FIFA over the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) bribery scandal.
Groden was one of the more fortunate CFU officials, as he and four other officials received just a warning from the FIFA ethics committee.
The other sanctions ranged from fines and reprimands to an 18-month ban of Franka Pickering, president of the British Virgin Islands Football Association.
When contacted by the Express yesterday, Camps was upbeat about the announcement.
"That's good news," he said. "It shows clearly that he was innocent."
Camps noted that it was not only good news for Trinidad and Tobago, but for the wider Caribbean that officials like Groden had not suffered heavy sanctions.
The findings now give T&T football a chance to move on, the veteran football administrator stated.
"It will give us an opportunity now to continue with our development programmes (that) we had and focus on ourselves in that direction."
Along with Pickering, Jamaican Football Federation president Captain Horace Burrell incurred a six-month ban, with three months suspended for a two-year probationary period. He has also been ordered to withdraw his candidacy from the upcoming CFU elections.
Osiris Guzman, the Dominican Republic FA president, and Ian Hypolite, general secretary of the St Vincent and the Grenadines association, were each also banned for 30 days.
The CFU presidency has been vacant since Jack Warner stepped down from all football activities following an investigation into the cash-for-votes scandal coming out of a meeting of former FIFA presidential elections candidate, Qatari Mohamed Bin Hammam, with CFU officials.
RELATED NEWS
FIFA charges 16 officials
August 11, 2011
espn.com
FIFA has announced 16 officials from Caribbean associations have been charged with breaching rules on ethics in the wake of the bribery scandal that saw Mohamed Bin Hammam banned for life.
• FIFA open new bribery investigation
• Caribbean countries brought to book
FIFA's Ethics Committee opened proceedings against the officials following investigations into a special meeting in Trinidad on May 10 and 11 where cash gifts of USD 40,000 were offered or given to associations belonging to the Caribbean Football Union.
One of the officials, Colin Klass from Guyana, a member of the CFU executive committee, has been provisionally suspended from all football activity. The 16 officials will face further investigations carried out by the company owned by former FBI chief Louis Freeh.
FIFA said in a statement: "The FIFA Ethics Committee has today opened ethics proceedings against 16 Caribbean Football Union (CFU) officials in regard to apparent violations of the Code of Ethics connected to the investigation of the cases related to the special meeting of the CFU held in Trinidad & Tobago on May 10 and 11, 2011.
"One of the officials, Colin Klass (Guyana), has been provisionally suspended from taking part in any football-related activity (administrative, sports or any other) by the chairman of the Ethics Committee, Claudio Sulser (Switzerland), after consideration of the specific information received on this matter.
"Judge Robert T Torres, a member of the Ethics Committee, has been entrusted by the committee with supervising and directing the investigation. With the approval of the committee, he has engaged Freeh Group International Europe (FGI Europe) and the secretariat of the Ethics Committee to assist the committee with this task.
The Ethics Committee will contact the 16 officials to arrange further interviews in connection with these proceedings.
"It is important to note that the investigations are still ongoing, and that it is therefore possible that further proceedings could be opened in the future."
Klass, president of the Guyana Football Federation (GFF), orchestrated a campaign by other associations to write letters backing FIFA vice-president Jack Warner after his provisional suspension on bribery charges.
Klass told Freeh investigators in June there was no offer or talk about cash gifts at the Trinidad meeting.
The Freeh report quotes evidence from Bahamas vice-president Fred Lunn, who took a photo of the cash he was given before returning it on the afternoon of May 10, stating that Klass went into the room when the money was being given.
The report states: "Outside the boardroom, Mr Lunn encountered Lionel Haven (a former Bahamas FA board member) and Colin Klass.
"According to Mr Lunn, Mr Klass stated: 'Why is this door locked, are there people getting bribed around here?' The male (CFU official) then allowed Mr Klass to enter the boardroom, which he exited after a few minutes. Mr Lunn noticed that Mr Klass had a smile on his face and was slightly giggling."
Klass told investigators, however, that he did not go into the boardroom.
The report states: "Mr Klass tried to enter the CFU boardroom on the afternoon of May 10, but was told that the room was not for him. Mr Klass remembered that Mr Warner said on May 11 that the only gifts were a laptop computer and projector.
"Mr Klass ... stated that (he) had not been offered or received any cash gift while in Trinidad and Tobago at the meeting."
The 16 officials are as follows:
David Hinds, Mark Bob Forde (Barbados)
Franka Pickering, Aubrey Liburd (British Virgin Islands)
David Frederick (Cayman Islands)
Osiris Guzman, Felix Ledesma (Dominican Republic)
Colin Klass, Noel Adonis (Guyana)
Yves Jean-Bart (Haiti)
Anthony Johnson (St Kitts and Nevis)
Patrick Mathurin (St Lucia)
Joseph Delves, Ian Hypolite (St Vincent and the Grenadines)
Richard Groden (Trinidad and Tobago)
Hillaren Frederick (US Virgin Islands)