Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA) board member Keith Look Loy is considering lodging contempt of court proceedings against local football president David John-Williams and his general secretary Camara David, after the duo allegedly failed to adhere to a High Court order regarding information related to the controversial Home of Football project and the TTFA’s finances.
On 20 March, Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh ruled that John-Williams and/or his general secretary’s failure to furnish Look Loy with the requested documents was ‘unreasonable and/or unlawful’ and gave the pair seven days to remedy the misdeed.
The documents listed in the order are: the TTFA ledger for the period of November 2015 to present, the contributions of FIFA, TTFA and the government for the Home of Football and the overall budget for same, the names of all bidding companies or parties in connection with the project, the TTFA personnel who selected contractors and sub-contractors for the project, the name of the project manager, the names of contractors and sub-contractors engaged, the quantum, duration and terms of all contractors associated with the project, and the current financial and construction status of the project.
Look Loy told Wired868 that, although he has received a ledger, he is dissatisfied with the information relayed by TTFA attorney Annand Misir in relation to the Home of Football.
“We got about 15 mostly PDF documents and at a glance, at least one of them does not state the quantum of the contract,” said Look Loy. “I know what a construction contract looks like and what they sent out is a joke; I know what a FIFA contract looks like and this in no way resembles that.
“But first, the court order is that I should be able to see and make copies of the documents and in the day of the word processor, I am not going to accept a PDF. I want to see original documents and I have not received that.
“They gave me a photocopied list of about 25 or 30 contractors but with no contracts; so now I want to see the contracts for each of them. This doesn’t satisfy the order of the court.”
Attorney Matthew Gayle, who leads Look Loy’s legal team alongside Dr Emir Crowne and Crystal Paul, said he will decide—in conjunction with his client—whether or not the supposed omissions by the TTFA were inadvertent. If they believe John-Williams is defying the High Court, it could mean tougher sanctions against the beleaguered football president.
“On the face of it, it would appear that we don’t have all the documents,” said Gayle. “We will be going through documents today with a fine tooth comb and we will discuss [them]; and at that point we will take a definitive position.
“[…] Normally when one has to failed to comply with an order of the High Court, you would then proceed to enforcement—which is further court proceedings and the enforcement of sanctions up to and including jail time. So we would start contempt proceedings; but we are not getting ahead of ourselves.
“We are in the process of confirming whether there has been material non-compliance rather than inadvertent non-compliance.”
At present, John-Williams and David are in Las Vegas for the Concacaf League of Nations draw. Although the 28 year old David controversially travelled as TTFA general secretary while his predecessor Justin Latapy-George was still employed in that position, the current event marks his first official overseas trip as CEO of the local football body.
The TTFA’s First Citizen Bank account is frozen, at present, due to the John-Williams-led body’s failure to satisfy a court ordered payment of $544,943.82 plus interest to the National Futsal Team and their attorneys over a breach of contract.
The TTFA and the National Futsal Team will appear before Master Sherlanne Pierre on 4 April for a ruling on the impasse.