Jack Warner is innocent until proven otherwise.
He is entitled to say one zillion times and more that he is not guilty. But we must be concerned.
This squalid affair, massive and international, is humiliating Trinidad and Tobago.
The allegations against Warner are overwhelming and multifarious.
They are also quite plausible, given long standing allegations of endemic corruption in FIFA. Without good cause, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) would not charge Warner and others with racketeering, money laundering and wire fraud related to bribes and kickbacks stretching back two decades.
Then there is Chuck Blazer, CONCACAF's secretary under Warner who publicly made corruption allegations against Warner, pleading guilty and agreeing to forfeit to the US government about US$1.95 million which he had received in bribes, kickbacks and unauthorised World Cup ticket sales.
Also, as reported in the Express, we have Daryan Warner, Jack's son, pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering and structuring, related to scalping tickets for the 2006 and 2010 World Cups; and another son Daryll, also pleading guilty to wire fraud and structuring in relation to obtaining a mortgage for a Miami condominium.
The report says the Warner sons appear to have provided information to the investigators.
The indictment revealed that whilst involved in FIFA business, Jack sent a relative to Paris to collect "a briefcase containing bundles of US currency in $10,000 stacks in a hotel room", in relation to bidding for the 2010 World Cup. Hours after arriving in Paris, "co-conspirator #14, a member of Warner's family", boarded a return flight and carried the briefcase back to Trinidad and Tobago, "where co-conspirator #14 provided it to Warner." According to the indictment, this was all part of an alleged bribery scheme which saw US$10 million paid to Warner. Very painful questions arise. Who is "co-conspirator #14, a member of Warner's family"? Did a father encourage his sons in criminal activity? The possibility of parental misguidance and irresponsibility is alarming.
We shouldn't also forget that in the case involving then Qatar FIFA executive Mohamed bin Hamman who was accused of bribing CONCACAF officials, the international Court of Arbitration for Sport, said: "Mr Warner appears to be prone to an economy with the truth. He has made numerous statements as to events that are contradicted by other persons, and his own actions are marked by manifest and frequent inconsistency."
And very telling too was the Fifa-appointed Integrity Committee report of Sir David Simmons which alleged that Mr Warner, in his roles as president of CONCACAF and vice president of FIFA, committed fraud against the two football bodies.
In the face of all this, is it fair to Trinidad and Tobago, to have this sordid spectacle of Jack Warner, one night in jail, the next day in the nation's Parliament, trying to shift attention from himself on to the Prime Minister, absurdly claiming it is she who jailed him and that he would have revenge telling 'all' about her?
What is this, a standpipe drama or what? Are we still uncouth villagers of the colonial era? Will we never have civilised norms in this country?
The world is watching. This has been termed the biggest news story in decades. Jack Warner is internationally known, long facing allegations that, as CONCACAF president and Fifa vice-president, he was at the heart of questionable activities in football's governing body. Therefore global eyebrows were raised when he was appointed Minister of National Security, to which Keith Rowley, as Leader of the Opposition, commendably objected, and foreign governments and international observers would have been dumbfounded that Warner acted as prime minister on several occasions. We must have been seen as a most unusual people when this man, ejected from the Cabinet, formed a political party, won the by-election in Chaguanas West and was thereafter lionised by the local media who sought his view on every topic under the sun including integrity and honesty in public life on which he held forth and made headlines over and over again.
Isn't it time to stop this national humiliation? Shouldn't Jack Warner be persuaded, for the country's sake, to stand aside from local politics until his name is cleared? Shouldn't we be spared the disturbing spectacle of Warner as a candidate in the coming elections?
It would be disrespectful to the citizenry and particularly insensitive to the children and young people if this individual, internationally indicted, traverses the nation during an election campaign aspiring to become the country's Prime Minister.
But then this is Trinidad, where swampland politics spreads.
We humiliate our nation.