Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) president Oliver Camps faces the prospect of an uncomfortable day in court or, at the worse, jail time after the 2006 Soca Warriors' attorneys demanded that the longstanding administrator answer for the perceived failings of the sporting body.
Frustrated by the lack of progress in unearthing "acceptable" accounting documents from the TTFF, the players have filed a "contempt of court" application in the Trinidad and Tobago High Court aimed at Camps.
The Warriors' move threatens to usher in a new phase of the four and a half year legal battle between Trinidad and Tobago football administrators and the 2006 World Cup team as the players seek to put the spotlight on the individual defendants.
The 2006 World Cup bonus battle kicked off in October 2006, three months after the Germany-based tournament, when the national footballers questioned the validity of the accounting spreadsheets provided by the TTFF, which suggested that their agreed split of World Cup income equated to $5,644 per player. A Freedom of Information Act request subsequently revealed that the TTFF's World Cup income was in excess of $173 million.
The players have since scored victories at the London-based Sport Dispute Resolution Panel, the TTFF's selected arbitration body, as well as in the local High Court and Court of Appeal. Yet, to date, the players remain without the "proper accounts" to determine their just rewards for a historic moment in local sport.
"In March, the Judge (Devindra Rampersad) ordered the TTFF to produce their accounts in a particular format and with the relevant supporting documents," said Michael Townley, the Warriors' UK-based attorney, "and they still haven't done it. What they provided instead is completely inaccurate and just a rehash of what they offered in 2006 even though those 2006 figures were totally discredited during the course of this litigation…
"We have made an application that Oliver Camps come to court and explain why he is not in contempt of court and why he should not be sent to jail."
The Warriors' application was lodged at the High Court two weeks ago and awaits review by Justice Rampersad. If Camps is found guilty, he could face a fine or imprisonment.
Camps and the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) are listed as the two defendants in the court proceedings. Although the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) has operated as the governing local football body for nearly two decades, the TTFA remains the sole organisation entrusted with running football by the Trinidad and Tobago Parliament.
Camps, de facto TTFA president since 1992, registered the TTFF as a private limited company under his name—as the sole trader—in April 2006.
Two cheques accepted by Camps on behalf of the TTFF especially concerned the players' legal team.
On May 1, 2006, Camps signed for a TT$14,487,070.50 from then Sport Minister Roger Boynes, which was payable to the “T&T Football Federation”. Four days later, Camps similarly accepted a $3 million cheque from Atlantic LNG.
The Mirror is reliably informed that neither payment shows up in the accounting spreadsheets presented by the local football body and vetted by international firm, KPMG—the Netherlands-based firm has paid out well over a billion dollars worldwide in the past decade for malpractise, ignoring erroneous statements and tax shelter fraud.
Camps was reluctant to discuss the cheques he accepted or the accounting of the body he heads.
"I cannot go in those details," said the TTFF President. "I am not the accountant. You know that my lawyer would not be happy if I made a single comment on that matter."
The Mirror enquired whether, as TTFF President, Camps would have been required to sign off on the accounting figures that he now tries to distance himself from.
"At some point, I suppose…" he replied.
Last year, Camps tried unsuccessfully to remove himself from the litigation. For now, he claimed to have complete faith in instructing attorney Om Lalla. He brushed aside any suggestion that Lalla's loyalties might be split since he also represents the TTFF—or, by its rightful name, the TTFA—and the sporting body's former special advisor and Minister of Works, Jack Warner.
Warner personally negotiated the bonus agreement with the Warriors on the TTFF's behalf and claimed to also be footing the legal bills of Camps and the sporting body.
Thus far, Warner, Camps and TTFA general secretary Richard Groden have never appeared in court beyond the submission of various documents.
This might change as the Warriors try to narrow in on Camps.
The Mirror was informed that, if the players do drag Camps into the courtroom, their encore might be even tastier.
Like Camps, the Local Organising Committee Germany 2006 also appeared to have collected revenue—in excess of $36 million—that could not be found when the TTFA presented its financial statements to the court. Warner chaired the LOC while his son, Darryl, headed the body's "Merchandising, Licensing and Marketing" operations.
The two Warners could conceivably have some explaining to do as the "Bonus-gate" affair motors on.