As he mounted a People’s National Movement (PNM) platform in Point Fortin, which he dubbed “football country”, on Wednesday night, Rowley challenged Sport Minister Brent Sancho to say if he has an account at Wells Fargo Bank in the United States, in which monies from Concacaf were deposited for the local team to participate in a Club Championship match.
Rowley said if the answer was yes, Sancho must clarify how the money got there or else he should be disqualified. In his discourse, Rowley raised the issue of trust and said people must have trust in their elected members.
“They pick candidates and you are still seeing this absence of trust. Their lack of trustworthiness being a qualification,” he said.
He reminded his audience that out of the blue one day, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar informed the public she was using taxpayers’ money to settle a private lawsuit, which was still continuing, between the former Soca Warriors and former Fifa vice president Jack Warner
Rowley said at that time they were partial to the footballers receiving some $15 million to settle the private matter but it dawned on them some time, “after a leading light in that lawsuit, a certain Brent Sancho, who was working for the PM’s favourite contractor, suddenly end up in the Government as a Minister of Government.”
He said that was when he started thinking “could it be that this was an arrangement made then, to buy Brent Sancho, using taxpayers’ money for a UNC candidate to run in Toco/Sangre Grande.
“Because you see, Brent Sancho now appearing with a number of other footballers who were beneficiaries of that football money and all of them suddenly up and up under the PM,” Rowley said.
Rowley revealed that Sancho’s Central FC got through to play in the Concacaf Champions League and as such would have received money from Concacaf to take part in the tournament.
“In the meantime, he is a minister in the Government of Trinidad and Tobago,” he reminded the audience.
“I want to ask Brent Sancho in football country Point Fortin tonight (Wednesday), if he has an account in Wells Fargo Bank in Pennsylvania?
“I want to ask him if the account start with the number 224 and some other numbers? I want to ask him if while he was a minister of Government, if the monies meant for that team to go to a football tournament end up in a bank account where he is listed as the ultimate beneficiary while being a minister of Government?”
Rowley said he was posing these questions because the country lacked trust in current government officials.
He called for a detailed account about how the transaction occurred and who advised Concacaf to route that money into the account of a Government minister.
“You think he will answer? Do you trust him, does he qualify to be a UNC candidate? Does he qualify to be a MP elected by the people?” Rowley toyed with the audience, receiving a resounding no for every question asked.
“Now you see how they does start. You know where he is going... on the way to the treasury.”
Rowley also raised questions about the UNC Point Fortin candidate Ravi Ratiram, saying there were accusations raised against him while he was on the University of the West Indies’ Guild of Students.
Outgoing Point Fortin MP Paula Gopee-Scoon, speaking on the platform, also expressed concerns about Ratiram.
Noting that there were currently questions being raised about the dealings of the PTSC board, of which Ratiram is a member, she said: “The people need to be assured that you are not a part of that. Say is not you nah boy. I want to give you the benefit of the doubt.”