…loses appeal to UNC financier in Privy Council
FORMER politician and FIFA vice-president Jack Warner has been directed by five London-based Privy Council law lords to repay $1.5 million, plus interest, to businessman and United National Congress (UNC) financier Krishna Lalla.
The monies represented a “loan” that Lalla had given to Warner in 2007, which the High Court had initially found, on a balance of probabilities, was to assist the political party in the run-up to the 2007 general election.
Contacted by phone yesterday afternoon, Warner said he had no comment to make on the ruling.
In the judgment that was delivered yesterday morning, Lords Hodge, Lloyd-Jones, Kitchen, Hamblen, and Stephens overturned a Court of Appeal ruling and reinstated the findings of Justice Frank Seepersad who in 2018 had ordered that Warner repay the money.
In addition to repaying the loan, Warner has to bear Lalla’s legal costs.
The lawsuit was filed by Real-Time Systems Ltd–the company from which Lalla obtained the funds–against Warner, trading as Dr Joao Havelange Centre of Excellence, Renraw Investments, and CCAM and Company.