AG reveals fees paid to attorneys for Warner extradition case

John Jeremie -

FORMER FIFA vice president Jack Warner’s lawsuit against the permanent secretary of the Office of the Attorney General for failing to fully disclose legal fees in his extradition proceedings has been settled. This is because the state has conceded the case.

The matter was expected to go to trial in July, with Warner’s attorneys being allowed to cross-examine witnesses from the ministry.

On the morning of the trial, the AG’s office capitulated and provided the requested documents.

These revealed that more than $6.9 million was paid to external lawyers in Warner’s extradition matter.

On July 8, the state’s attorneys, in a letter to Warner’s attorney Richard Jaggasar, said Attorney General John Jeremie, SC, had approved the disclosure of the documents unredacted.

The unredacted invoices provided the fees paid to King’s Counsel James Lewis, who previously led the State’s legal team in the extradition cases; Senior Counsel Pamela Elder, Douglas Mendes and Michael Quamina, and attorneys Brent Hallpike, Netram Kowlessar, and Vanessa Gopaul were among the 17 external attorneys and UK law firm retained by the state, which also included attorneys spanning two previous administrations.

In his lawsuit, Warner claimed the documents provided by the ministry contained discrepancies. He alleged that payments to seven attorneys totalled $6.9 million, but the redacted invoices he received only accounted for approximately $6 million.

His attorney Richard Jaggasar had previously argued that the ministry’s disclosures were inconsistent and incomplete.

In March 2024, Justice Karen Reid ruled that Warner could proceed with a judicial review since the issues raised warranted a full trial. Warner maintained that he was entitled to unredacted documents identifying all attorneys retained by the state in his ongoing extradition battle.

“These are monies spent from the public purse, so the taxpayers have a right to know,” Warner said in an affidavit.

Warner accused the permanent secretary of “obfuscation,” claiming that while some information was provided, the documents were padded with triplicates and duplicates and lacked key details, such as attorney names.

In July 2023, Warner submitted a Freedom of Information request seeking details on how much had been paid to attorneys involved in his extradition case from 2015 to 2023.

The request covered legal work in the magistrates’ court, High Court, Court of Appeal, and the Privy Council, including a referral application to the High Court.

In October 2023, the Office of the Attorney General denied full access, citing insufficient public interest and attorney-client privilege. Warner filed for judicial review in December 2023. He later received a list showing that $6.5 million had been paid to six attorneys. However, he maintained that the ministry should have additional documentation for at least 18 legal professionals.

“It is a reasonable request for monies spent by a public authority using public funds,” Warner said.

The disclosure lawsuit was separate from Warner’s ongoing extradition proceedings, in which he faces 29 charges in the United States related to fraud, corruption and money laundering during his tenure at FIFA.

Jaggasar called the outcome a “hard-won victory” for transparency and said the former administration’s actions were a clear attempt to block public accountability.

He praised the new government’s promise to handle such issues more fairly.

Reid also ordered the state to pay Warner’s legal costs in the fees case. She is also presiding over Warner’s challenge to his extradition.