PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (Trinidad Express) – Jack Warner believes he is a hunted man. Speaking at a cottage meeting at Surrey Village Lopinot on Thursday night, Warner addressed members of the international media who have been following him around since the US Department of Justice inducted him on multiple charges of corruption, racketeering and money laundering, two weeks ago.

“I do wish to advise you that you need not hunt me down and badger me all over the place with no peace of any kind. Even in the Arouca Police station this morning you were after me”, he said.

He then gave the media his itinerary for the rest of the week, which includes going to Parliament at 1.15pm today.

“14 persons got indicted by the US but you only harassing one all the time…. You can follow me there too right inside but just dress properly as you would do in your own country”, he said.

Warner said he was unconcerned with the FIFAS scandal and the US application for his extradition, which is pending in the court.

“ I have left FIFA some 4 years ago but apparently the FIFA has not left me”, he said.

Warner then detailed how he helped fund and elect the Peoples Partnership coalition government in 2010.

“?In 2010, I also believed that given the composition of the People’s Partnership team and its battery of Attorneys at Law that our Constitution would have been upheld, our democracy protected and the rights of our citizens guaranteed. It was for this reason, I provided funding for the People’s Partnership Government because my obsession was not just power; my obsession was to rid this country of what I thought then was the most arrogant, corrupt and vile government ever to govern this country”.

He said: “I thought that Patrick Manning’s protection of Calder Hart was obscene, I thought his obedience to the prophetess was scandalous and the adulation of himself to be not in the nation’s interest. So I saw no wrong then if I chose to spend every single cent that I had to free this country from the shackles of such a demonic regime and help to put in place a coalition that understood the needs of our people”.

However, he said that when he read the headlines on Monday, where political leader of the Congress of the People Prakash Ramadhar called on him to go directly to the US to face trial and not fight extradition, “I said to myself that something is wrong. Why would Prakash Ramadhar whose party will not even win one seat in the next General Election call upon me to give up my right as a citizen to challenge the US application to have me extradited to face charges under their judicial system? Now I have found it strange, very strange that Prakash Ramadhar of all people should call upon me to skip the hearing in the local courts and go straight to the US”.

Warner said: “I am not the first financier of this People’s Partnership Government for whom an application for extradition has been filed by the US Government. And I am also not the first financier of the People’s Partnership Government who has chosen to contest the application before our courts of law. However, I am the first financier that they are asking to go willingly to subject myself to judicial proceedings in the US and to that I am asking the question, why? While I sat in cabinet and dined with my former colleagues, I never heard one comment from either of them as it related to two other financiers skipping local proceedings and heading straight to the US courts”.

He added : “I do not know if the answer to all of this is found in the Prime Minister’s conversation when she walked out of Parliament last Friday. As she rose to her feet she muttered and I quote: “I refuse to listen to the offensive of a person like this. Now that is instructive. Because the Prime Minister did not say that she will refuse to listen to any offensive. It is the offensive of a person like this. What does she mean? Does she mean someone that looks like me, what does she mean? I don’t want to believe that our Prime Minister degenerated into race in the hallowed halls of Parliament? I hate to believe that this Prime Minister pulled the race card on me when she walked out of Parliament? No one in this country sees Jack Warner as racist and Jack Warner does not see race but sees people”.

He said that he would asking no favours.

“I ask no proclamation like a Section 34. I am not seeking to abscond or shirk my responsibility of appearing before the courts. I just want justice to be done. I want my day in court and after presenting my side of the argument; I want the courts to decide. This is what we, as citizens want. I don’t want any Chairman of any Integrity Commission to try to free me through any back-door; I want a judge to say yes or no. I do not want the Parliament to degenerate into a cowboy court just to free me against having to face the process of law in my country. No! I want to go before the courts and present my case and if they say I go then I go and if they say stay then I stay…No! I just want my story to be heard so that a judge can decide whether I should go or stay”.

He said that Persad-Bissessar and Ramadhar wanted him gone: “because there is plenty to hide and for the coming weeks you better book your Sunshine (newspaper) early, very very early. The money I gave to NJAC to give them a sphere of influence in the Hills of Laventille they don’t want me to tell you about. Ask NJAC who was the biggest sponsor for their Calypso and Cultural competitions, ask them! Ask this Attorney General if Jack Warner ever gave him money, ask him! Don’t ask Moonilal, I will show you the cheques that were given to him. Ask Kamla about the many financial favours she received from my hand but when she received it she never said she did not want anything from “people like this.” “