00:00The legal battle with former government minister Jack Warner continues.
00:05High Court Justice Karen Reid, who permanently stayed the extradition on September 23rd, has now reserved judgment in Warner's constitutional claim against the state.
00:17According to Express Court reporter Riki Ramdas, this claim challenges the state's conduct during the process,
00:24alleging a massive deception regarding the required diplomatic arrangements and focuses on securing substantial damages.
00:33The decision on the claim was reserved to an unscheduled date following just about four hours of submissions at the judicial waterfront center in Port of Spain on Friday.
00:44Warner's attorney, Ferd Hussain, pressed the court to find a systematic institutional failure and willful disregard for the truth by the state in the handling of the extradition process that began more than a decade ago.
00:59The core controversy in Warner's constitutional claim is the state's failure to inform the courts at all levels, including the Privy Council,
01:09that a mandatory specialty arrangement had not been formally put in place between Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.
01:18This arrangement is a critical diplomatic arrangement required to validate the extradition request under the domestic law.
01:26The legal proceedings against Warner began in May 2015, when he was arrested based on a request from the United States to face charges related to fraud,
01:36racketeering and money laundering in connection with the global FIFA corruption scandal.
01:42Early in the process in 2015, Warner challenged fundamental aspects of the request, including issues of specialty, double criminality and the validity of the extradition treaty itself.
01:55Candy Hill, TV6 News.
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