PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Lawyers for the former vice president of the International Football Federation (FOFA), Jack Warner, have given former prime minister Dr. Keith Rowley 14 days to respond to a pre-action protocol letter as campaigning for the April 28 general elections enters its final days.
The lawyers say that their client is demanding a full retraction, apology, and compensation from Rowley for statements he made on the political platform of the ruling People’s National Movement (PNM) on April 16.
“My lawyers will read it with great care,” Rowley told the Newsday newspaper on Wednesday.
In the pre-action protocol letter dated April 22, 2025, the lawyers say that Rowley falsely made statements about Warner, a former government minister who is involved in the campaign with the main opposition United National Congress (UNC), that are entirely untrue and defamatory.
They insist that their client has never been convicted of a crime, has not avoided court proceedings, and has not lost any legal case involving the Centre of Excellence.
The lawyers said the statements caused serious reputational harm, especially during the ongoing election campaigning.
“The law recognizes that robust political debate is fundamental to democracy. While politicians are entitled to respond robustly to criticism and are afforded some latitude in political discourse, this does not extend to making false statements of fact that damage reputation,” the lawyers wrote, adding that the remarks went beyond fair political comment and were presented as factual assertions without basis.
Warner’s attorneys were reminded of remarks from the Privy Council, which noted that in a free and democratic society, it should go without saying that public officials must remain open to criticism and that any effort to suppress such criticism constitutes a particularly harmful form of political censorship.
“This principle works both ways. Politicians speaking publicly must observe high standards of accuracy and fairness since the public needs to know the proper position and is inevitably influenced by what is said.
“The right to free expression in political matters, while important, is not unlimited. Your categorical assertions of criminal conviction and evasion of justice were presented as facts without qualification.
“They went far beyond legitimate political discourse and cannot be justified as fair comment or honest opinion, as they lack the necessary factual foundation,” the lawyers wrote.
Rowley is not contesting the 2025 general election, having resigned last month after 45 years in active politics.
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