“Full trust in authorities,” says FIFA president after Blake and Watson charges

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, who visited the Cayman Islands on Friday, said he has full trust in the law enforcement authorities to do their job in light of the charges laid a day before against CIFA 1^st vice president Bruce Blake and former treasurer, Canover Watson by the British territory’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

Indicating that he didn’t yet have the full picture of what transpired, Infantino, who was joined on the trip by CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, offered the following comment:

“We have full trust in the authorities when they do their work and we are thanking them. If anyone finds anything wrong with anyone in football, well then sanctions have to be taken because we don’t want anything of the past to happen again in the future…whatever comes out, we will take the necessary steps and learnings out of it.”

According to an ACC statement issued Thursday, Blake faces one count of Secret Commissions contrary to s.21(1)C of the Anti-Corruption Law 2008; two counts of Acquiring or Retention of Criminal Property (Money Laundering) contrary to s.134(1) and s.135 of the Proceeds of Crime Law 2008; and two counts of False Accounting, contrary to s.255(1) of the Penal Code 2010 and 2013(Revisions)”.

It added that Watson was charged with two counts of Secret Commissions contrary to s.21(1)C of the Anti-Corruption Law 2008 and 2014 (Revision); three counts of Transferring or Retention of Criminal Property (Money Laundering) contrary to s.133 and s.134(1) the Proceeds of Crime Law 2008; and two counts of False Accounting, contrary to s.255(1) of the Penal Code 2010 and 2013 (Revisions).

Both men have been further bailed to appear to appear in Summary Court on 20 August 2019.

At the time of his arrest in 2017, Blake’s lawyer indicated that was in connection with suspicion of allegations of secret commission and money laundering in relation to the signing of two loan agreements on behalf of CIFA with regards to two amounts of US$600,000 each received in the Butterfield Bank account of CIFA and then transferred to the CIFA loan account at Fidelity Bank.

“Those two amounts were represented to Mr. Blake to be loans to CIFA to pay down on the CIFA loan at Fidelity Bank in order for Fidelity Bank to remove the charge on the CIFA Centre of Excellence in compliance with FIFA regulations,” a statement from attorney Steve McField read in 2017.

When asked about the situation today, CIFA President Alfredo Whittaker declined to get into details. “I also don’t have much comment [on] it,” said Whittaker, who took over the top local football post in November 2017.

“The authorities are doing their job. CIFA remains fully supportive of the authorities. Whatever has to be done, let the authorities to deal with that,” he added.

Infantino, who took over the reins of the sport’s world governing body after it was rocked by widespread corruption that saw several senior figures arrested including Caymanian Jeffrey Webb, said of the situation:

“Football is a community. It’s not just two or three persons, the ones at the top… We trust the authorities and whatever help they can give us…they can count on FIFA and CONCACAF…and we count on them to help us in this.”

Blake has promised a statement on the matter, which was not forthcoming at the time of writing.

Cayman Sports Buzz will have more on the visit of FIFA President Gianni Infantino and CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani in a subsequent story.

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